Breathless
by fallingsnow6136
Summary: Feelings can change overtime and as they grow, so can relationships between two people. Haru finds his relationship with a dear friend changing into something possibly more...will his feelings be returned? Or will they remain hidden inside his heart forever?
1. Chapter 1

_Okay, so this is my first attempt at ever writing a romance that is multi-chapter so that will be fun. I want to thank my friend __**Rey-chan, **__a dear friend of mine who was writing a romance between her characters in Camp Nanowrimo and I'm like you know what? Given I'm like the only crazy Haru x Rei shipper who actually writes and is active, this pairing deserves more intense romance stories for the couple. I will do my best to make it an enjoyable read._

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**1\. Incomplete**

Words had always been something rather complicated because they meant different things to different people and impacted them in different ways. Sitting in his bedroom as the sun's rays lit his room, Haru Shinkai worked on writing his Valentine's note to the one person he had grown to see beyond the level of friendship. He wanted to bring a smile to this special person's face, not just today but since when he had been a young child. Chewing on the bottom of his pen, he crossed out what he had written and began writing again, expression furrowed in thought because something still didn't sound right. Tomorrow was Valentine's Day and whilst he had never really received a Valentine before, this time, he wanted to give someone else a Valentine. Gatchmon was the only one who knew whom this person was and had encouraged him to go for it. Being a bit more confident now than he had been as a child, he had decided to start writing something. That, however, was a lot easier said than done. There were many times he had written something but then something about it didn't sound right and he had cut a line through it, beginning to write something else entirely.

"Haru," Gatchmon's voice broke into his thoughts. "Don't you think you're overthinking this?"

Haru didn't reply right away, staring at what he had written so far. Heart thudding wildly in his chest, his mouth grew dry as he imagined Rei's response in the back of his mind as he read what he had written. He could picture in the back of his mind, his friend's expression becoming closed off and him putting the note down, quietly pulling away and leaving, clutching his jacket a little too tighter around himself. No, maybe that wouldn't happen. Rei trusted him after all, he knew he would never do anything that would make the other uncomfortable.

_With trembling fingers, Haru held out a box of chocolates to Rei, a note attached at the top. He waited for the other to finish reading, glancing around anxiously. He knew Hajime-kun had been trying to help by leaving the two of them alone but right now, he couldn't help but wish that Yuujin or Ai-chan could be nearby._

"_Haru," Rei's voice cut through his thoughts and Haru looked up, heart pounding wildly in his chest so rapidly that it felt it would come out. Rei handed the box of chocolates back to him before walking over, grasping Hajime's. Their eyes met across the room one last time and Rei shook his head, causing Haru's heart to sink. He made to move towards Rei but before he could, the other had turned his back on him, walking out of the bookshop. _

"No," Haru said, shaking his head a little too quickly. He didn't want that to happen. He didn't want it to even be a possibility. "I don't think I can do this, Gatchmon. I'm not sure what I was thinking but I can't do this. I can't let Rei-kun read this letter no matter how many times I rewrite it." He tore the letter and threw it in the trash. Maybe he was overthinking it but what was wrong with that? Rei…Rei was a very precious friend to him and that was more special than any other relationship that may or may not form between the two of them. Taking the risk might lead to a positive outcome but at the same time, what if it didn't? Would Rei pull away and decide that he didn't want to be friends anymore? Would he feel too awkward to even look him in the eye and walk out as he had in the scenario that played out in his mind? Haru didn't know, maybe neither of these things would happen but it wasn't worth taking the risk. At least – if they were friends, he could remain by Rei's side as his good friend and make sure he didn't end up falling back into the darkness that had surrounded him back then. If Rei pushed him away, he wouldn't be able to do that. _'No matter what else happens, I'm never letting Rei walk away from me and all of us. I'm not letting him end up alone again'_

"Haru, how do you know he'll say no or not return your feelings?" Gatchmon cut in. "You told Rei he wouldn't know until he tried back then. Shouldn't you try at least?"

"Maybe he won't say no," Haru admitted, fists clenching as he stared at a wall. "But is it worth risking our friendship on a maybe, Gatchmon? Whether I tell Rei-kun my feelings or not, they won't change. But telling him might change our friendship…it might make him pull away and go back to being alone. I guess…I'm scared of..." Remembering Rei's shocked face back then when he had chosen to help him without expecting anything in return still made his heart clench.

Gatchmon's expression softened at that and Haru could tell the other was watching him closely because he could feel his gaze on him, despite not looking at him directly. "Haru…"

Haru tilted his head to look at his Buddy, lips curving into a small smile, knowing his Buddy was just worried about him. "Maybe I'm being stupid but I don't want to lose Rei-kun as my friend, no matter what."

Gatchmon shook his head, jumping on Haru's shoulder and hugging him. "That's not stupid at all. You're just worried about losing your friend, it's natural. I'd beat Rei up if he stopped being your friend over something like that though!"

Haru chuckled a bit and shook his head, hugging Gatchmon back, holding him close for a few moments as he looked at his torn up letter in the bin. The feelings that he had expressed on that little piece of parchment were best to remain hidden, deep in a place where no one else but Gatchmon could know the depth of how far his feelings went for his dear friend. '_I'm okay with just remaining as Rei-kun's friend as long as I can continue to be there for him.'_


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you so much to everybody for the support they've given me on this story so far. I hope you keep enjoying this as much as I love writing it! Okay, so I'm honestly not too sure about Rei's characterization in this chapter which is why it took me awhile to write it because I tried to take creative liberty while keeping him similar to his canon counterpart. That said, if he does seem OOC, please tell me because since I'm crazy about characterization, its something I would like to know while keeping in mind that this Rei is 18/19 and no longer a 14-year-old._

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**2\. Of Valentines and Best Friends**

It was another long day at work but since it was a day off tomorrow for Valentine's Day, Rei Katsura didn't mind working a few extra hours. He could never understand what the hype was about this holiday but he supposed it was because he didn't think to give each other roses and chocolates equated to falling in love with them. _That or I'm too much of a cynic. _He knew Ai was hosting a Valentine's Day party tomorrow and Haru had been insistent that he come so he had agreed. Or maybe it was just harder to say no to Haru mainly because he knew if he did, Haru wouldn't push.

"Quite a rush in here isn't it, Katsura-kun?" His female colleague Hibiki Akioto says putting the plates in the dishwasher, her chestnut brown hair tied back into a ponytail as she put gloves onto her hands to continue working.

"The restaurant is closed tomorrow," Rei replied, without even looking her way. "It's bound to be a rush since people want to have their Valentine's dates today or the day after."

Hibiki sighed a little. "Yeah, no kidding, all those lucky couples having someone to spend their day with."

Lucky wasn't the word Rei would use but he didn't argue. It just seemed so artificial for couples to come out on dates, give each other roses and chocolates then part ways after the day was over. There seemed to be no closer connection from what he could see, nothing beyond the surface, just meaningless dates above the surface and then nothing. _Or maybe I would just want something deeper for myself if I ever considered that kind of thing. _Not that he would ever consider it. Not after everything that had occurred back then. Things not even all his friends knew about. No one other than Haru knew about the darkest parts of his life, the one secret that he sometimes tried to hide even from himself because it still sent chills down his spine whenever he thought about it.

"So do you have a Valentine?" Hibiki asked, breaking the silence between them as she peered at him, her ocean blue eyes looking at him curiously, reminding him of another pair of blue eyes. Her eyes were the same color as Haru's, holding the same innocent curiosity as she waited for his answer.

"No," he said shrugging a little. "Nor do I have any interest for one."

"Oh," Hibiki's voice seemed to falter at this and her eyes averted to the ground. "I was just hoping if you didn't have anyone to spend Valentine's day with, we could do something together."

Rei blinked, not sure if she was asking him out on a date or not. He wasn't good at picking up this kind of stuff nor was he all that good at responding to it. "I said I didn't have interest for a Valentine. I have plenty of people to spend Valentine's day with." That was true. With Haru, Ai, Yuujin, Astra, Eri and of course Hajime, it was impossible to be bored or lonely. In fact, Astra and Eri being in the same room made him want to sometimes escape and just get away because they were so darned loud about everything.

"I see," Hibiki was smiling again which led to Rei feeling even more puzzled. "That's good then."

Rei watched her for a moment as she got back to work and wasn't really sure if he should say something more or just leave her be. She certainly didn't seem to be feeling as chatty as she had moments ago after all. He didn't have much time to think about it further though as another customer came and he got busy, beginning to serve them. He and Hibiki didn't talk much during the rest of the day unless it had to do with the work itself so it was obvious something had definitely upset her. Should he apologise? Haru would probably tell him to clear things out since she was a colleague and one of the only ones he could actually trust not to make his head spin and have an intellectual conversation with. As he finished his shift, he noticed Hibiki getting ready to leave. Now was a good time as any right? He opened his mouth to say something then closed it. Starting pleasant conversations was never his forte and the last thing he wanted to do was make things worse.

"There something you need to say?" Rei said, putting his hands in his pockets, shifting awkwardly, trying not to sound too curt or dismissive.

Hibiki looked at him and the intensity in her ocean blue eyes startled him for a moment. There was silence for a good few seconds before she finally spoke up.

"I've always found your brutal honesty rather refreshing," Hibiki said not looking at him directly but staring over his shoulder instead. "You don't beat around the bush and always say what you really feel about a situation even if it's blunt. So I'm going, to be honest with you. I like you, Katsura-kun. You're smart, really efficient at what you do and if I'm honest, you're really handsome too. I was thinking maybe if you didn't have a date, I could ask you out and we could celebrate Valentine's Day together, maybe give each other roses and chocolates instead."

Rei stared at her for a moment, not even sure what to say to her right now. So she had been asking him out on a date? Why hadn't she just said that the first time she had asked that? He felt a bit of discomfort rising in his chest, expression closing off as he realized she had called him handsome and smart but what did she really know about him anyway? Knowing someone for only six months was not enough to develop genuine feelings for them, was it? He didn't know. He didn't know how to respond to things like this, no matter who it was.

He opened his mouth to say something but this time, he really couldn't come up with anything so he closed it again, turning away from her slightly, finally saying "I have to go pick up my brother from school. I'll see you at work next time." He knew it was a horrible response and he knew he didn't really have to pick up Hajime. His little brother wasn't a child anymore after all but they usually hung out together after school before going home even if it was a little early today. He pulled his hoodie over his head, beginning to walk out of the restaurant.

"Katsura-kun?" Hibiki called out before he could walk away completely and he stopped, although didn't turn around to look at her. "We're okay right?"

"We're colleagues, Akioto-san," Rei responded curtly. "It's better if you don't allow your personal feelings to get in the way of that." That was all he said, not giving her a chance to respond as he headed towards Hajime's school, mind whirling slightly.


	3. Chapter 3

_Okay, so guess which story I'm focusing on mostly this time for Camp Nano? Yep, this one. I wasn't actually planning to update until August when I had all my backlogging for that but you can thank __**Sunshine-hime **__for inspiring me with her super sweet and super exaggerated review because she loves me. Enough of my rambling, here's another chapter for you! I also want to thank my little sibling, my love, the adorable **groundramon **for giving me an idea used in this chapter. I love all my precious friends, of course but **groundramon, **you're cute and all the hugs to you!_

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**3\. Complicated Feelings**

"Yuujin-kun, I've never seen you this nervous to go to Haru-kun's house as you are today," Ai Kashiki pointed out to her childhood friend and Yuujin jumped a bit when he realized they had been standing in front of Haru's house for the last five minutes. He didn't understand these feelings, nor did he understand why he was having them but he felt as if something had changed about his feelings for Haru. It was like when the two of them were in a room together, everyone else just faded into the background. He couldn't see anyone but Haru.

"Yeah I know," Yuujin said softly. "It's just…"

"Is something wrong?" Ai asked, face creasing over in slight concern.

Yuujin shook his head. "No, it's nothing. Let's go. Haru's probably waiting for us anyway." There was no sense in worrying about it. Besides, he and Haru were close, he could talk with Haru about how he felt directly right? Especially with Valentine's Day coming up, it was almost like fate was beckoning him to give it a go and talk to his best friend about this.

Ai nodded, smiling a bit. "Yeah, of course."

Yuujin followed his female best friend inside but stayed quiet, other than greeting Haru's mother who let them into the bedroom. _How exactly am I supposed to bring it up though? 'Hey Haru, I think I might have a crush on you' No, that sounds like I'm not even sure what my own feelings are and this is a crush right? I mean, I want to make Haru smile and make him happy. I want to be his most special person. _

"Yuujin?" Haru's voice snapped Yuujin out of the thoughts that were circulating in the back of his mind on how he should go about confessing and he looked to see that his best friend was looking at him, concern present on his face. "Yuujin? Are you ok? I've been calling to you for the past few seconds and you seem a little distracted."

Yuujin felt his cheeks heat up as he thought about what he was distracted about. He fidgeted a little, looking around, not really sure how to bring this up. "I'm fine, I just kind of wanted to talk to you about something, that's all." That sounded like a good enough start right? It was straight to the point.

"Oh?" Haru's voice changed from concerned to almost curious now. "About what?" He seemed to be trying to catch his best friend's but Yuujin still wouldn't meet Haru's eyes because this might be a lot easier for him to say if he wasn't looking his best friend in the eye, however his own gaze stopped on something in the trashcan. A ripped up Valentine's Day card in the bin and before he replied to Haru, he picked it up, piecing the broken pieces back together and he felt his heart sink as his eyes skimmed through the words.

'_Rei-kun,_

_I've never really given anyone a Valentine's Day card before so I'm not really sure what to write in this but here goes. I like you. I really like you…I never said anything –_

The card was cut off from there. There was nothing else written but it was enough for Yuujin to get his answer before even talking to Haru about it.

"Um, I…" Haru's awkward voice brought Yuujin back to reality. "I was trying to make a Valentine's card but it wasn't any good…"

Yuujin noticed how red Haru had gotten as he said that and his heart sunk even further. _Haru must really like Rei if he's this shy about giving him a card. He's my friend. I should encourage him to give it a go right? _He shouldn't have expected anything else. He was okay just being Haru's best friend and that was that. _If I'm really okay with it, then why does it feel like someone's twisting a knife inside of me? _Being an android, he didn't bleed and hurt in the same way that humans did and could tolerate a lot more pain than the average human but right now, he could feel the knife twisting further in his heart that he had to avert his gaze firmly to the ground to keep Haru from seeing his eyes begin to water. God dangit, why couldn't he just be happy for his best friend?

"Haru-kun, do you have feelings for Rei-kun?" Ai asked curiously. "You've never really mentioned anything like that and even Yuujin-kun looks surprised about it."

"I didn't want anyone to know," Haru admitted. "I mean, I don't mind you guys knowing but I don't really want Rei-kun to know about them so please keep it a secret?" His voice sounded rather meek.

"Are you worried he might reject you?" Yuujin asked, forcing his tone of voice to sound normal when he was finally sure his eyes were dry. This was his best friend. Haru deserved to be happy with whoever he liked and he would support him, even though he could feel the hole inside his heart become bigger as he thought that maybe the other would never be interested in him like that.

"I mean, maybe," Haru said softly. "Actually probably, he won't feel the same way. I mean, Rei is really cool and smart and really handsome. I guess I just don't want our friendship to change if he doesn't feel the same way, you know? So please…don't tell him anything."

Ai hugged Haru gently. "Haru-kun, we would never tell your secrets to anyone without your permission, you know that. Ne Yuujin-kun?" She gave him such a searching look that he was a little taken aback. Did Ai know what he felt for Haru or had she been able to work something out because he was acting so damn obvious?

"Yeah, of course," Yuujin replied instinctively but smiled at Haru. "If you don't want us to say anything, we won't." He reached out to touch Haru's shoulder, ignoring the intensity of Ai's gaze on him. "So are we still up for hanging out?"

Haru nodded, pulling both of them into a hug and Yuujin returned it, hugging both of his childhood friends close to him. A selfish part of him didn't want to let Haru go, wanted to keep him to himself where it would just be the two of them and tell his best friend his feelings anyway but the more conscious part of him pushed that back. _I'd rather die than hurt Haru anymore than I have. If Rei is what makes him happy, I won't be a barrier to his happiness. I want Haru to smile even if I can't be the one to make him smile. Maybe…maybe after all I've done, I'm not the one who deserves to make him smile anyway. _


	4. Chapter 4

_Guys, guess what? I finished backlogging this story. It's shorter than most of my stories but I feel proud that I've backlogged a complete story. Who else is proud of me? Sorry, random but hey __**Sunshine-hime, **__since you like Hajime, I think you'll enjoy this chapter!_

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**4\. I'm with you **

"Oniichan!" Hajime ran forward, hugging his brother around the waist happily. He loved each and every moment he spent with his big brother even though from the way Rei was standing, leaning against the railing with his hands in his pockets, it looked like he had been waiting for a little while.

Rei tousled his brother's hair, hugging him closer. "Hey there kiddo. You ok?"

Hajime nodded. "Of course. Oniichan, you're a bit earlier and you're fidgeting. Is something wrong?"

Rei shook his head. "No, of course not. I just left work a bit early, that's all." He didn't really meet Hajime's eyes as he said that causing the younger boy to frown a bit.

"Oniichan," Hajime shifted a bit. "I know maybe I'm not old enough to understand everything you're going through but…you don't have to deal with everything alone anymore or hide things from me to protect me." He hugged his brother a little tighter. "Maybe I can't help but telling me might make you feel better right?" He doubted he could do much to help Rei anyway, since he was just a kid and probably more of an annoyance than a help, but he wanted to be able to do something for his precious big brother.

Rei blinked, pulling away slightly as they began walking towards the car which was parked a couple of meters away. For the first couple of minutes as they walked, Hajime thought his brother still wouldn't tell him anything but as they reached the car, he spoke.

"I just had a little bit of an issue at work, that's all," Rei admitted and when his brother's eyes met his, Hajime could see the truth in them but he wasn't really sure what to say. He didn't want to push him into telling him what had happened so he just nodded, opening the door and sitting inside the car, waiting for Rei to join him. There was an odd silence in the car as Rei pulled out and Hajime bit his lip. Should he ask more? Was he being too nosey? He was curious though and now that he was older, he wanted to be Rei's friend too.

"What kind of problem?" Hajime asked finally. "Can I help?" He probably sounded a little too eager when he asked the last part. He couldn't help it though – wanting to help his brother, wanting to make him proud were his biggest aspirations. He wanted the day to become, the day when he became successful in his career, he wanted to see his brother standing there with a proud smile on his face, thinking all the sacrifices that he had made weren't completely worthless. He brought himself out of his little daydream to focus on his older brother to see if he could help him out somehow.

Rei actually gave his brother a fond smile, cheeks flushing slightly pink all of a sudden. "I don't think so but Akimoto-san wanted me to be her Valentine. Said she likes me and all. I've only been working there six months though, its not nearly enough time to know someone, let alone like them, it's illogical." His tone took on a slight harsh edge as he said this but Hajime knew that the harshness wasn't directed at him so he focused on processing the words inside of his own head. He had met Akimoto-san a couple of times and she had been really nice, very friendly although he knew that wasn't enough to judge a person and his brother had been working with her for awhile.

Not that being friendly means anything though, given how 'kind' Uncle Fuzen and Aunt Tsukiko appeared to be when Oniichan had first gone to them for help. That said, saying that to his brother was probably not a good idea right now. _I want to reassure him, not remind him of the people that had destroyed his childhood, his innocence and allowed him to be a child when he needed it. _

"Oniichan, I know you're not really interested in that stuff," Hajime began quietly. "But that doesn't necessarily mean other people view romance the same way you do, right? I mean, how long would you want to know a person before you even considered asking them out if you ever did?" He wasn't sure what he was saying would help but he knew his brother and he knew that logic was something that was comforting to him. He knew his brother didn't trust most people – he hadn't even told their friends, other than Haru-san about their past with Fuzen and Tsukiko. To be honest, Hajime had been surprised when he found that Haru knew but was also relieved that his brother felt comfortable enough to take that chance.

Rei's expression faltered a little bit. "I don't know, Hajime. I feel like you can never know a person enough. But maybe it depends on trust. I mean, I've known Haru's friends for awhile too but I wouldn't say I know them well enough to ask them out on a date or something."

"And Haru-san?" Hajime prompted, realizing he had said Haru's friends but not mentioned anything about Haru himself which was interesting.

"I…I trust him enough," Rei admitted, despite the fact that his voice cracked. "I feel like I know him well enough and he's proven over and over that I can trust him so he's…he's different from most people."

Hajime smiled softly, something inside him stirring. Despite being unsure of his own feelings and his views on the whole Hibiki issue, it felt as if his brother was certain about one thing, that for him to date anyone, trust was important. And the only person – besides him and besides Hackmon of course – that he could trust at all to even consider that sort of thing with was Haru. "He is. Akimoto-san asked you out because most people don't think this deeply about those matters Oniichan and well, Valentine's Day is a good time as any to confess to someone if you like them right? I think that's probably what Akimoto-san was thinking too. You don't need to worry that much about it, I promise Oniichan." He took his brother's hand. "I know it's a bit hard to believe but not everyone like that wants to hurt you, Oniichan even if it feels that way."

Rei squeezed his brother's hand back, not replying but he didn't need to. The way his expression had softened was all that Hajime needed to know in order to understand that his brother was feeling a little bit better than he had been before and for now, the simple fact that he had been able to make his brother feel a little better was enough to make his heart swell a little. _I can be useful to Oniichan. _He felt like a little kid all over again but the fact that he could bring a little peace to his brother's heart made the whole day look a little bit brighter for him.


	5. Chapter 5

_Okay so even though this isn't __**'groundramon's' **__gift fic yet, the surprise couple makes leeway in this chapter, it's probably obvious cause I'm simple and predictable ok? *pouts* That said, please enjoy the chapter everybody!_

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**5\. You are not alone**

Ai was putting the final decoration touches in place for today's party. Everyone had pitched in to help to make the party a success, Eri had helped her with the decorations, Astra had offered with his Dad to make tea for everybody and Rei had gotten his restaurant to do the catering for the party. Haru and Yuujin had been there for moral support and been around had they needed anything for last minute. Speaking of Haru and Yuujin, her thoughts drifted back to a conversation she had with Yuujin yesterday at the bookshop.

_"Yuujin-kun," Ai said softly. "You've been really quiet since Haru-kun went home. Did something happen?" She had a decent idea on what might have happened because she had seen how his expression had changed when he had found that ripped Valentine's Day card in the bin. She had seen the pain cross his expression as he read those words, the shadow of a broken heart clear on his face but she didn't want to assume. She wanted to hear it from her friend._

_Yuujin looked at her, before averting his gaze. "If I tell you, please don't tell Haru. I already feel so bad for hiding this from him but I'm not really sure how to tell him this, especially now."_

_Ai nodded, smiling a little. "I promise I won't tell Haru-kun anything you don't want me to, Yuujin-kun. Both of you are extremely important to me and I want you both to be happy." She knew her feeling about Yuujin was most likely correct the more he talked but she'd let him say it first._

_"I…I have feelings for Haru," Yuujin admitted. "I mean, seeing him happy makes me so happy as well. I want to make him smile, I wanted to be his most special person but I guess he's already…" His voice cracked a little. "He's already given that place to Rei hasn't he?"_

_The sadness on Yuujin's face made her heart ache and Ai bit her lower lip, trying to figure out the best way to go about this because she didn't want to hurt Yuujin even worse but at the same time, she didn't want to give him any false hope. "Yuujin-kun, you are special to Haru-kun. You're his best friend, you mean so much to him. Maybe he does have feelings for Rei-kun but that doesn't make you any less important in his life." She paused for a moment. "How do you feel about Rei-kun right now?"_

_Yuujin blinked a bit. "I don't know. I mean, he's my friend of course, that hasn't changed and I respect how far he's come. I just wanted to be the one to make Haru smile. I've brought him so much pain that I just wanted to be the one to light his world up in joy. I-I don't know, maybe I don't even deserve to after all the things I've done-" He was cut off by Ai wrapping his arms around him and pulling him into a hug._

_"Don't say that, Yuujin-kun," Ai said firmly. "I know for a fact you already bring a smile to Haru-kun's face, I don't even need to ask him because he was so miserable when you weren't here, Yuujin-kun. I'm sorry you had to find out about Haru-kun's feelings for Rei-kun like this but you know, for now, Haru-kun's feelings for Rei-kun are one-sided at best." She felt a little bad by giving him that hope but it wasn't exactly a lie. While Haru not confessing to Rei or Rei not feeling the same way didn't guarantee he would grow to have feelings for Yuujin, there was more of a chance. Her heart sunk a little. 'I shouldn't think that way. Haru-kun would be so happy if Rei-kun felt the same way but Yuujin-kun' She felt a little bit torn because she wanted Haru to be happy with the person he liked so much but she also didn't want Yuujin to be heartbroken either, even though she understood both things couldn't happen at the same time._

_Yuujin shook his head. "If Rei makes Haru happy, I don't want that." _

_Ai smiled softly and she hugged Yuujin tighter, a little proud of how selfless he was. "Don't worry, Yuujin-kun. Everything will be alright." 'I really hope everything will turn out okay'_

Ai hadn't known what more to say because this wasn't an easy situation no matter how it was looked at and she didn't want Haru and Yuujin to be awkward around one another. Not that she thought Haru would blame Yuujin or react in a bad way but she knew Yuujin still feared that he might hurt Haru again and wanted to avoid that at all costs.

"Ai-chan!" Eri Karan's voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she blinked a small bit, seeing her female best friend be the first one to arrive. She climbed down the ladder after putting in the final decoration piece, moving over to greet her friend.

"Eri-san, you're the first one here," Ai said hugging her.

"Oh really?" Eri said, looking surprised as she looked around. "I mean, I expected Tora to be late since he lives the furthest away but I thought Haru and Yuujin would be with you at least."

"Haru-kun wanted to bring a few things to the party," Ai said with a giggle. "And Yuujin-kun and his friends decided to have a quick soccer game so Yuujin-kun will pick Haru-kun and bring him here. Rei-kun texted me and told me he was confirming everything was okay with the restaurant catering for us so he should be here soon too with Hajime-kun."

"Ah, that makes sense," Eri said. "Well, that's okay! Until then, we can have some girl time right?" She smiled and Ai returned it.

"Of course," Ai replied warmly. It was nice having another girl in the group. It made her feel like she had someone to talk to who she could talk to about girly stuff with, like what kind of clothes to wear to a party and if she should change her hairstyle to something more mature and stylish. She loved Haru-kun and Yuujin-kun with all her heart but this kind of conversation topic with them was genuinely awkward. She walked with Eri back to the lounge, motioning for her to sit down and her friend did so. "You haven't been in touch lately, Eri-san, is everything alright?"

"Work has been really busy," Eri admitted sighing a little. "Being one of the Nine Gods now, we're always getting new offers and…" She trailed off and Ai noticed a slight hesitance on her friend's face causing her to frown. She knew idol work was really hard but she felt there was something more.

Ai took Eri's hand into her own. "Eri-san, are you alright? Did something happen?"

Eri jumped a little bit at the touch and smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine! It's just a little overwhelming, that's all sometimes but don't worry, it's not enough to bring me down. I'll give the long hours an explosive punch if they bother me too much right Doka-chan?"

Dokamon beamed. "Of course wasu! I won't let anyone ever hurt Eri-chan!"

Ai frowned a little more. Maybe she was reading too much into things but she could feel there was something more than the work being overwhelming although she didn't want to push Eri into telling her either. She squeezed her friend's hand again. "Eri-san, I won't push you but you know I'm always here for you right? You can tell me anything and I'll always listen."

Eri's eyes watered a little but she actually smiled, returning the pressure. "Thank you, Ai-chan."


	6. Chapter 6

_Okay, so this chapter despite remaining in the elements of slice of life does take a slightly darker turn and I'm going to warn for possible triggers as there is stalking involved in this chapter as well as sexual harassment or bad flirting, actually I'm not sure, so I'll warn for both sexual harassment and bad flirting *giggles* Cause better safe than sorry right? So if you're triggered by either of those things, please don't read on cause I don't wanna genuinely scare anyone. I own Akuma unfortunately but not anyone else._

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**6\. My Eyes on You **

Haru had finished getting chocolates for everybody, putting them in a shopping bag even though it had gotten a little too heavy for him so he had split it into two bags. He found a nearby bench and decided to call Yuujin to see when his best friend would be ready to pick him up. He really should get a license but he didn't feel confident enough to do that. The phone gave a few rings and finally, his best friend answered.

"Hey Haru," Yuujin said. "Sorry I was in the middle of a game so it took me awhile to answer your phone."

"No, it's okay," Haru quickly replied to his friend, not wanting him to feel guilty for no good reason when he knew how the other's games could get sometimes. "I'm done with shopping though, so when do you think you'll be free?"

"We're halfway through the game," Yuujin admitted honestly. "I'll do my best to be quick though. I don't want to make you wait too long, after all."

"Okay, Yuujin, no its fine I can wait," Haru assured his best friend gently. He felt an odd sort of movement and looked around but didn't see anybody. Goosebumps appeared on his arm and he could feel the hairs on his end stand up. He was sure he had felt something – someone but he wasn't sure who it could be. Suddenly, waiting for Yuujin made him feel slightly on edge. _Am I being paranoid?_ He could feel something for sure. "But can you please try and come soon?" He tried not to sound as meek as he felt right now because this place wasn't all that crowded.

"Of course, I'll be there as soon as I can," Yuujin promised.

"Okay," Haru said. "Thank you." He hung up the phone, rubbing his arms, looking around. "Who's there?"

"Haru?" Gatchmon said floating up to him in CHIP-form. "Is something wrong?" He was watching his Buddy in concern, having seen his normal happy-go-lucky expression change to one of fear.

Haru clenched a fist. "Gatchmon, I think someone's here. I feel like someone's watching me." He raised his voice slightly again. "I know you're there."

"You're quite perceptive, you know," A boy's voice rung out as a sea-blue haired boy stepped out, piercing brown eyes staring at him. "Then again, I always knew I had good taste." He licked his lips.

"Who are you?" Haru asked. "Have you been following me?"

"My name's Akuma," The boy replied simply. "Akuma Hagiwara. And what will you say if I say I have?" His gaze stopped at Haru's face, slowly moving down his body causing Haru to shiver again, taking another step back.

"I think stalking is illegal you know," Haru managed to say, surprised he could even talk without stuttering but he had a bad feeling about this person. He didn't know what to do or how long it would take for Yuujin to get here. He wanted to just back away and run but his legs felt frozen.

"Haru, Appliarise me!" Gatchmon said furiously, buzzing around him like an angry bumblebee. "I'll teach this freak a lesson for scaring you!"

Haru couldn't even bring himself to shake his head at Gatchmon, watching Akuma closely. If the other even tried to lay a finger on him, he needed to get out of here but he felt as if he couldn't move an inch. Like Akuma had done something to root him to the spot.

"Not if you know I'm following you," Akuma said, gaze moving even further down Haru's waist.

Haru suppressed a shiver. "It's still illegal if it makes me uncomfortable." Akuma chuckled. "Your eyes look so beautiful when they're filled with fear."

Haru finally managed to stumble back a single step but just barely. What was wrong with him? This person was looking at him like he was a piece of meat and had been following him and he couldn't even say anything in response to him or even give some sort of sign that would make the other back off. What if Akuma grabbed him due to his lack of resistance? He glared at the boy, trying to push down his obvious fear. "I'll scream if you come any closer." He looked around. He had asked Yuujin to try and be quick but he knew soccer games took awhile to wrap up but he didn't know if he had awhile with how hungrily Akuma was staring at him. Maybe he should call Rei? No, this would trigger him way too much, especially if Akuma went further than words, a thought which made him tremble slightly. He didn't want to hurt Rei from this but he knew that his friend would rather him call for help then be abused or hurt by this creep.

"Relax," Akuma said waving a hand. "I don't need to come any closer to know how delicious you are. Why don't you go on a date with me beautiful? You look much more beautiful up close than you do from afar. That crush of yours would never even look twice at you after all. He can have anyone."

Haru stared at the other, stomach sinking down further and he felt as if he would be sick. Just how long had Akuma been watching him? "W-what are you talking about? What crush?" His legs finally gained some movement and he took a large step back. He wasn't even going to think about the flirting. His head was pounding enough without more to think about.

"I've been watching you for a long time, Haru-kun," Akuma said taking another step closer. "I know how you feel about Katsura Rei-kun. But he would never even consider you. What can you offer him? What can you give him? He's attractive, girls and guys would both flock over to him. Charismatic as well, isn't he? Why would someone who can have anyone choose you?"

Haru shifted at that, another emotion mixing with the fear, knowing Akuma had a point about Rei. He was charismatic, he was cool and really intelligent. He had so many good qualities inside of him so there really wasn't much that he could give him in return. His heart tightened in his chest at that but he looked up. "That doesn't matter. I want to protect my own feelings for him and you're scaring me anyway. I wouldn't go on a date with someone who makes me genuinely afraid."

"Does he know you have the most gorgeous smile while you're sleeping?" Akuma said stepping closer and Haru instinctively took a step back, breath hitching up in fear the closer the other got to him. "Or how much more sexy you would look if you wore something tighter, something that stuck out the shape of your body to other people? Your clothes don't do you justice, Haru-kun. Maybe you should remove them." There was an odd gleam in his eyes and Haru felt himself lose the ability to speak once more.

This person had been watching him, stalking him even when he was sleeping and wanted to do worse to him. The threat of being raped or sexually assaulted was too big for him to wait on Yuujin anymore. Self-preservation kicked in and he backed away from there, running as fast as his legs would take him. He needed to get to somewhere where he wouldn't be alone anymore, where Akuma wouldn't take the risk of following him. He pushed down his uncertainty about Rei because his apartment was the closest to where he was right now. He sped up because he didn't want Akuma to grab him, knowing he was probably following close behind.

Once he got to the apartment, he quickly rung the bell looking around a little anxiously. _Please Rei. Oh god please be home._ There was a good chance that his friend had already left for the Valentine's Day party but he hoped not. The thought of what Akuma would do to him if Rei wasn't home sent chills down his spine. _Please be home, Rei. _


	7. Chapter 7

_Okay, so there is definitely a reason why I'm updating this pretty quickly because there is a bigger, more action-packed sequel in the works although that will have more of a schedule than this one, probably a weekly one or two weeks depending on what people want. I hope you enjoy this chapter._

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**7\. Shield from the Storm**

"Alright so Hajime," Rei said hanging up the phone. "We're ready to head out for the party. The restaurant will start the making the food for dinner in a bit and then deliver it by the time Ai and her dad gave them so it's worked out somehow."

Hajime beamed. "That's great, Oniichan but we should probably head out now too right?"

Rei nodded but before he could respond or even make a move to leave, he heard the doorbell ring and his eyebrows furrowed, glancing towards the door. Who could it be at this time? Hibiki wasn't here to ask him if he would reconsider going on a date with her, was she? Maybe he shouldn't answer the door in that case. He was about to turn away when the person knocked as well and he sighed. He supposed since they were ready to leave, they could greet whoever it was on the way out. He grabbed his hoodie putting it around his shoulders before going to answer the door, blinking a bit when he saw Haru, panting and looking a little out of breath. "Haru?" His eyes flickered with genuine concern, having softened when they saw Haru and was watching his friend closely, observing the fact that Haru was constantly rubbing his arms.

"R-Rei-kun, can I please come inside?" Haru's voice shook a little and he was looking around anxiously which caused Rei's expression to become filled with even more concern but he took a step back and allowed Haru to come inside.

"Haru-san," Hajime greeted kindly. "Weren't you and Yuujin-san going to the party together?"

Haru didn't reply although Rei wasn't sure his friend had heard Hajime's greeting, let alone his question. What on earth had happened? He touched Haru's shoulder and the boy nearly jumped out of his skin, looking wide-eyed and stumbling back.

"Whoa Haru, calm down," Rei said quickly retracting his hand. "Hajime, can you bring a glass of cold water for Haru?"

Hajime nodded, now looking worried but he quickly filled a glass of cold water holding it out on a tray for Haru to take. Haru took it with shaking hands, gobbling down the water in one gulp as if he hadn't drunk anything in ages.

"Haru," Rei said quietly. "Are you okay?"

Haru didn't reply right away but he slowly looked up, eyes flickering with some recognition, the shaking of his hands gradually becoming less. "I think so…I'm sorry for bothering you like this, I just…I don't have the shopping I did either, I brought everyone chocolate for Valentine's Day…but I don't know…I don't know what would have happened if I waited for Yuujin…it was too much time, I couldn't."

Haru wasn't making much sense but Rei could tell from his friend's incoherent sentences that the other was seriously spooked by whatever had happened. "No, you're not bothering me at all. Haru," He looked at his friend seriously, not touching him for fear he might make the other flinch away in fear. "You're safe now." He was getting a sinking feeling inside his chest at what could have happened but he honestly hoped he was just assuming things because if anyone even looked at Haru in a way that made him even a little uncomfortable, he'd make sure they didn't live to see the next sunrise. And someone who had scared his precious friend so much? They definitely wouldn't live long enough to hope to see the next sunrise either. He would never let anyone hurt those precious to him ever again.

"Haru," Gatchmon spoke up. "Maybe you should tell them what's going on." His voice was gentle but somehow Rei felt Haru was too shaken to even explain what was going on. But at Gatchmon's words, his friend did slowly look up.

"I'm not even sure where to start with telling them," Haru said quietly. "I'm sorry, I know it's rude not to explain…" He trailed off and Rei shook his head.

"I don't need to know the details until you're ready to tell me, Haru," Rei said simply. That was true – whilst it would be nice to know what the issue was, it wasn't necessary for him to know in order to be able to be there for Haru. "But whatever it was, you got away and managed to get here safely." His voice was matter-of-fact but he knew logical facts tended to be more comforting than a shoulder to cry on. "You're out of danger now."

Haru's eyes flickered and Rei could feel his own body ease up at seeing the fear disappear from his friend's gaze. He hadn't even been aware of how tense seeing Haru afraid made him so it was nice that he was able to make the other relax, at least a little bit.

"Yeah," Haru said softly, before blinking. "Oh – oh I was supposed to meet up with Yuujin." He looked around for his phone and the sound of constant vibration made him realise it was in his back pocket. Taking it out, Yuujin seemed to be calling him and he quickly answered it. "Yuujin? Sorry I…I'm at Rei-kun's place. I'm sorry I couldn't wait for you outside the shopping mall, I…someone…I had to get away from there, I'm sorry." He began trembling again and Rei wasn't sure what to do. This was Haru. If it was someone else, he could walk away and not feel guilty about not doing anything but not for Haru. He looked to Hajime who made the vague gesture of hugging someone and Rei blinked at his little brother.

If it was anyone else, he might not have even considered it. But Haru had comforted him when he had told him the darkest parts of his past. Haru had hugged him and told him that it didn't matter to him and this changed nothing. Pushing his own social awkwardness aside, he wrapped his arms around Haru's shoulder since hugging him was a bit odd while he was talking on the phone and honestly hoped that the other wouldn't flinch this time. To his pleasant surprise, his friend leaned into the hug, shifting closer even as he hung up the phone.

"Haru," Rei said quietly. "Whatever happened, you're safe now. I'm glad you came here when you did." Something stirred in his heart. Because Yuujin was running late to pick Haru up and Haru felt some sort of danger or threat, he had chosen to come to his house. It meant that he believed Rei's house was a safe place from the dangers that lurked aside. The idea that he could be a safe haven, a shelter for his friend warmed his heart more than he could express.

"Me too," Haru admitted. "I kind of ruined the Valentine's Day mood though didn't I?"

Rei rolled his eyes. "I don't get all the hype from it anyway to be honest." He scoffed a bit and this time it wasn't just to bring some comfort to his friend. His expression shifted to concern once more. "Are you sure you're okay enough to go to the party though? Ai should understand if you decide not to."

Haru shook his head. "E-everyone's been looking forward to this party for awhile and I don't want to ruin that. I'm okay now." He did shift a bit closer into his embrace and Rei found his grip around his friend subconsciously tightening as Haru did that.

Haru was always so kind – always thinking about what was best for others. It was his kindness back then that had gotten through to him, his willingness to risk himself for him against Sakushimon without expecting anything in return had taken his breath away. How anyone could be so selfless, so open and kind-hearted was still something that made him breathless when he thought of it. Looking down at how vulnerable the other looked made his heart ache. If Haru became more comfortable telling him what had happened, whoever had scared his friend this much would pay dearly for what they had done.

"Rei-kun?" Haru's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Thank you."

Rei blinked, raising an eyebrow slightly. "For what?"

"For being there for me," Haru replied simply. "You're really warm, Rei-kun."

Rei blinked, feeling his cheeks genuinely heat up and his heart skipped a beat. He opened his mouth to curtly reply that his friend had nothing to thank him for but choked on his words, feeling his cheeks grow even hotter and he retreated into his hoodie a little bit, unable to find the words to respond to Haru.

Hajime giggled a bit. "You're going to make Oniichan pass out, Haru-san."

Haru tried to smile weakly but was unable to manage it. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to."

Rei saw the doubt in his friend's expressions, the warmth fading from his cheeks and wondered what that was about. Normally, when Hajime teased him for being unable to take a compliment, Haru would join in but now he had shied down from it. "Haru…" He was about to say something but stopped, deciding he didn't want to push if the other was uncomfortable. "Should we head out then? Hajime and I are ready to go anyway."

Haru nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good."

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Gatchmon was watching Haru the whole time he had been with Rei and the way his Buddy lacked the confidence to properly talk with them, act as if he normally would. He wished he had been Appliarised when Akuma had appeared because hearing him talk that way to Haru, about Haru, as if he were some object to play with made him want to rip that bastard to tiny shreds for even doing that.

"Gatchmon?" Hajime's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Are you ok?"

Gatchmon blinked. "Oh yeah, I'm fine." That was a lie but he didn't want to tell Hajime he wanted to murder a freak who made flirting look like a crime.

"Did someone harm Haru?" Hackmon said in his usual deadpan voice although Gatchmon could tell he was concerned. That said, he wasn't really sure on how to answer Hackmon's question without telling him what had happened. He supposed he could tell them the truth without telling the details of it.

"Someone tried," Gatchmon admitted to them. "Haru ran for it before things could get too dangerous but that…that bastard did enough damage in my opinion." He scowled, an angry look crossing his face. "Yuujin needs to not spend so much time on his soccer games."

"Gatchmon," Hajime said in a tone that was almost a gentle scolding of sorts. "You know this isn't Yuujin-san's fault."

Gatchmon's face fell. "I know but…I don't like seeing Haru so afraid and he has enough self-esteem issues without some asshole making them worse." He could see how much Akuma's comment about Rei had stung Haru and he hadn't been certain that his Buddy would have been willing to run to Rei's but he was definitely glad the other's self-preservation ended up winning over his own insecurities because if that guy had actually touched Haru…he shivered at the thought without realizing it, moving over to rest on Haru's shoulder.

"Gatchmon?" Haru said blinking. "Are you okay?"

Gatchmon smiled weakly. "I'll always be okay as long as you are, Haru." He saw Hajime and Hackmon exchange a glance, but he couldn't answer their questions, not right now at least.


	8. Chapter 8

_Okay, so I personally don't like this chapter, particularly the scene between Eri and Ai but I could be being too harsh but Eri/Ai is an eventual pairing I am going to have in the sequel to this story. I hope the characterisations were okay but whether you like it or think it should be better, please let me know in a lovely review. Thank you!_

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**8\. We're in this together**

Yuujin had been running very late because the game ended up going longer than he had planned. His heart sunk, slight dread making him feel like someone was pressing against his heart as he hurried over to the shopping mall where Haru had agreed to meet with him but he wasn't…there? That was odd. Had Haru decided to go to the party without him because he took too long? No, that wasn't like his best friend. His heart sunk even more when he saw a couple of shopping bags there, mind jumping to the worst possible scenario but he tried to push that away even though it still nagged at his brain. Had someone else left their shopping or were they Haru's? He shook his head. What was he doing? Instead of wondering where his best friend ran off to, he might as well just call him and ask him which was more practical. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and called him. It took a few rings but Haru finally picked up.

"Haru, hey," Yuujin said gently. "I'm sorry the game ended up going on for a bit longer than planned. Where are you?"

"Yuujin?" Haru's voice sounded slightly shaky causing Yuujin to tense a little bit almost unconsciously. "Sorry I…I'm at Rei-kun's place. I'm sorry I couldn't wait for you outside the shopping mall, I…someone…I had to get away from there, I'm sorry."

Yuujin tensed further, not because Haru was at Rei's place but those words sent a chill down his spine, especially how Haru had said them. "Haru? Are you alright? Did someone hurt you?" Was that why Haru had asked him if he could try to come a little earlier? Because someone was worrying him, because he was at the risk of being hurt by another person?

"I'm…I'm alright now," Haru managed to say softly. "I'm sorry Yuujin. You go on ahead to the party, I can come with Rei-kun and Hajime-kun."

Haru's words didn't set Yuujin's mind at ease anymore than they had before and he gripped his phone a little tighter. "Alright, I'll see you there." He hung up the phone, mind whirling slightly. Haru had been in danger, someone had tried to hurt Haru. His friend had been asking him to come early, to try and come sooner but he hadn't heard the concern, the fear in Haru's voice. _God dammit. He needed me and I wasn't there. Someone tried to hurt him and I wasn't there to protect him. What's wrong with me? Are my feelings for him really making me bitter enough not to be able to protect the person I love the most in this entire universe? Or am I just being programmed to do what I was made for? To hurt Haru because that's why I was even brought into existence…_

"Yuujin," Offmon's soft voice cut into his thoughts. "This isn't your fault offu. Haru's okay now."

Yuujin's eyes watered a bit. "But Offmon, I should have been there to protect him."

"You're too hard on yourself, offu," Offmon said to him. "I mean Haru's okay so you can protect him next time right?"

Yuujin nodded in agreement. It wasn't like by dwelling on the past, he'd be able to change it somehow. He could only focus on moving forward.

The group gathered around at the party. Eri couldn't help but notice that Yuujin and Rei seemed to be huddled around Haru and Haru was a bit quieter than normal. Sure, Rei and Yuujin in general were a bit overprotective of Haru, Yuujin especially given the fact that he felt it his duty to protect his best friend from everything but she could feel something was wrong.

"Here you go, Eri-san," Ai said, snapping Eri out of her thoughts as she looked at her friend who handed her a chocolate.

"Oh thanks Ai-chan," Eri said with a small smile. "Hey Ai-chan? Do you think Haru is okay?"

Ai blinked a bit before glancing at Haru who was talking to Yuujin about something before looking back at Eri and smiling a little bit. "So you've noticed too Eri-san?"

Eri looked a little surprised by that and gaped at her female best friend a little. "You knew?"

Ai giggled. "Haru-kun and I have grown up together so you learn to be able to tell this kind of thing to be honest." She glanced at her childhood friend again before looking back at Eri. "I feel like it's something he doesn't really want to bother anyone about right now so let him be ok?"

Eri bit her lower lip. "I'm not trying to question your judgement or anything, Ai-chan. Haru's behavior just feels a little bit…familiar." The last word slipped out before she could stop it and quickly covered her mouth, hoping Ai hadn't picked up on her choice of words but knowing she was perceptive, that might be too much to hope for.

"Eri-san?" Ai said quietly. "I know there are a lot of things you don't want to talk about and I normally like giving you your space because I don't want to push you but if this kind of behaviour is familiar to you and that could help Haru-kun, are you okay with telling me at least?"

Eri bit her lower lip and she wrapped her arms around herself, shifting her gaze to the ground momentarily before looking up. To Ai, she probably looked small and vulnerable right now. She wanted to tell her friend, she honestly did but she didn't even know where to start. "There's so much that I don't even know where to start, I'm not even sure how to explain it but well…sexual harassment is common in the idol industry. There are people who literally view idols as pieces of property. People don't really have the courage to go beyond sleazy words or at most caressing someone in a way that it's not illegal but its obvious what the intentions behind it are. I've had it happen to me a few times." That was understating it but she didn't want to scare Ai too much. "After it, I was really quiet, withdrawn and I tried to act normal about it but it isn't that easy. Haru's sort of acting in a similar way. I want to give him space, Ai-chan, I'm just worried about him, that's all."

Ai leaned over, pulling Eri into a hug, although she shivered a bit. "I'm not sure what's going on with Haru-kun but I feel like Yuujin-kun knows something. I'll talk to him about it but Eri-san?" She squeezed her friend closer in the hug. "Haru-kun isn't alone in this and neither are you."

Somehow Ai's hug made Eri relax a little. She was still worried but just hearing that Ai and the others wouldn't let Haru be alone was enough to make her calm down. Her little brother was in good hands and the moment she got the proof that someone had even looked at him in that way, they were dead meat. That was a promise she had made to herself.


	9. Chapter 9

_Okay so I want to genuinely thank __**YaoiFanGirl8228 **__for pointing out something on a particular character and something I was doing wrong, a genuine critique which I have fixed in this chapter. I mean, the story is mostly focused on Haru and Rei but I love all the characters and this particular character literally didn't even have one scene in the whole story which was not cool and I totally didn't feel it. So guys, if you ever notice something that I'm struggling with or could improve on, please don't be shy telling me. I'm not perfect at all. That said, please enjoy the chapter!_

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**9\. I Totally Feel That!**

Astra had never considered himself to be the brightest bulb in the yard but even he could feel like something was off. Not cause Haru was quiet, no it wasn't like the boy could talk someone's ear off unless a book was involved but it was more that even Hajime looked down and the boy could find the positive in nearly everything. As Haru, Rei and Yuujin stayed behind to talk about something, he approached Hajime.

"Hey dude can I talk to you?" Astra asked.

Hajime nodded. "Yeah sure Astra-san. Is everything ok?"

Astra took Hajime to the side, going outside cause he could totally feel how fresh the air was right now even when it was beginning to get dark. "I was gonna ask you that. I mean, I know I'm usually clueless but I don't feel how quiet everyone is…did something happen?"

Hajime shifted a little bit, looking down at his feet. "I don't think it's right for me to say anything, Astra-san. I mean it's not something to do with me and I don't know everything anyway. I'm sorry, just…"

Astra blinked, shaking his head. "No, no don't be sorry, I feel that. I mean, Haru's always been quiet but he's more outgoing with Yuujin and he does like talking to all of us so I guess I don't feel him not doing that. I mean, the last time, he went completely quiet like now was when…" He trailed off, realising how badly he was about to put his foot in his mouth and pulled back, a guilty expression crossing his face. It had felt back then that no matter what they did, they were unable to reach Haru. At least Eri had taken out the anger she felt by trying to beat the crap out of Yuujin, even if she failed miserably at that but even with the anger he had shown at Yuujin, he had been unable to do much at the time. The thought that their friend could have done that to Haru, he hadn't felt it at the time and he hadn't wanted to feel it.

Hajime winced a little at what Astra had been about to say but tried to smile. "Don't worry Astra-san. I mean, Haru-san was able to get up from his struggles and be strong back then right? I'm sure he can do the same now."

This did bring a smile to Astra's face when Hajime put it like that and he actually grinned. "I totally feel that! Haru's really strong." His face fell into a frown again. "I've been worried about you too though Hajime. I mean, I know I'm not good at all this comforting stuff but you're important to me. I totally feel that." He wasn't that good at filtering his words and saying them in a way that was always appropriate but somehow his friends usually were able to filter out what he really meant.

Hajime smiled at that. "Of course I do Astra-san. You're important to me too. I guess I'm…a little worried about Oniichan."

Astra blinked, a little genuinely taken aback at that. Rei always was even quieter than Haru and while he had noticed the other hovering around Haru a little bit, he could feel that was due to the fact at whatever the hell had happened. _Then again, Rei is more complicated than a jigsaw puzzle. I could spend my whole life trying to figure and I totally feel that I'd never be able to tell what he was thinking so Hajime probably is more on the ball about this than I am._

"Did something happen to Rei?" Astra asked, probably sounding more than a little lost but he did want to make Hajime feel better even if he wasn't sure he could help his friend with Rei.

Hajime shook his head. "No, but Oniichan is really protective over the people he cares about and Haru-san is more special to him than most people are. I just kind of knows even the thought of someone hurting Haru-san and him not being able to do anything about it makes him think it's his fault. He won't openly say it to anyone but that makes it worse. I'm sorry…I know you and Oniichan aren't all that close, but I just worry about him. For such a long time, it was always just the two of us and he was always protecting me from everything. I guess…I guess for once I want to protect him too, it's silly to think that. It's impossible for someone like me but I still can't help wanting that."

"Hey, I totally don't feel that," Astra said firmly and a little sharper than he intended it to be but he wanted to show his friend how strongly he felt about that. "I don't get a lot of what Rei's thinking, actually I never get what he's thinking to be honest but I don't feel how you're talking about yourself and I totally don't feel that Rei feels that way either. I think you do a lot more for Rei than you know. He's a lot more chill around you and I totally feel how much he loves you. Hajime…" He trailed off, not sure how to be more tactful in his words. Tact had never been his strong point. He wasn't perfect like Haru, always knowing the right thing to say or knowing how to word even tactless things in a way that they sounded okay like Eri could. He didn't want to upset Hajime even further but he could totally feel that sugar-coating his words would make the situation a lot worse than it had to be. "I saw how Rei was when you weren't around. I totally didn't feel it. Now, even when he's sad or upset or feeling that way that you think he is, I still feel it from my heart, like completely that he's still better than he was back then. I don't know a lot about a lot of the smart stuff that Rei does and I don't read as much as Haru either but I do feel something and that's that you already protect Rei. I mean, maybe not physically but like his heart you know?" He felt his face flush at this. He really sucked at this, didn't he? He wished he could be as smooth as Haru sometimes. Before he had a chance to say more, he felt Hajime move forward, throwing his arms around his waist and resting his head against his chest. He could hear the other boy sniffling and he could feel his own eyes widening, heart sinking, having not wanted to make things worse. He really was a screwup with tact and now Rei was going to kill him for making his little brother cry! "Hajime, I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you cry…"

"No, Astra-san, thank you," Hajime said, pulling away and smiling a bit. "I'm crying but it's not in a bad way. I think I needed to hear that. Astra-san, I want to make Oniichan so proud. I want the day to come where he can look at me and say he's so happy to have raised me, to have called me his family. I want to make Oniichan smile in whatever I can do."

Astra couldn't help but grin when he heard Hajime say that and pulled the slightly younger boy into another hug. "I totally feel that, Hajime!"


	10. Chapter 10

_Hi there everyone! How are yall doing? I love you peeps so much for all the support you've given me in this story. Thank you. I never thought this story would garner the attention it has because it was my first ever attempt at writing a story that isn't epic and grand. Um, not that I don't enjoy this story but I mean the genre is my first attempt at something like this. Also, the title is a metaphor! Can you guess what the metaphor means guys? :) Do tell me in your reviews._

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**10\. Sword and Shield **

Haru tried his best to act normal with the others but there was a part of him that couldn't help but wonder if Akuma was still watching him right now. The thought sent a chill down his spine. He didn't want that to be a case but the words he had said were still fresh in his mind even now. He felt his gaze slowly moved towards the window. Was he out there, watching everything that was happening at this party right now?

"Haru?" Gatchmon said causing Haru to blink as he realized his Buddy was looking at him with a mixture of concern and understanding on his face. His gaze drifted to Rei and Yuujin, who also seemed to be looking at him, Yuujin looking a little uncertain and anxious while Rei was just watching him.

"Sorry," Haru muttered. "I just sort of got lost in my own thoughts that's all. You guys ahead for the food, I'll join you in a couple of seconds. I don't want to worry Astra-kun and Eri-san too much that's all."

Rei shifted a bit. "Haru?" He wrung his fingers a little but managed to maintain eye contact with his friend. "I won't push you to tell me or anyone what's wrong but well…just know that…" His face flushed a little bit, struggling to form words. "You don't have to deal with whatever it is on your own."

Haru blinked but then smiled. He knew it wasn't easy for Rei to be even this expressive in situations and he could feel the awkwardness the other felt despite being able to sense the sincerity behind it. He was about to reply and tell Rei that he knew that when another voice rung in the back of his head.

_What can you offer him? What can you give him?_

This made his expression close off and a part of him wondered what he had even given to Rei as a friend other than helping him not to be alone anymore. It made his eyes water a little and he turned away from Rei, burying his face in Yuujin's shoulder who wrapped his arms around him.

"Haru?" Yuujin said looking at his friend, expression falling even more.

Haru didn't reply, just clung to his best for a few seconds. He didn't know if he could begin to tell them the horrible things Akuma said to him – the horrible things he had wanted to do to him. Despite the fact that the other hadn't even laid a finger on him, it felt like even just with his gaze, he had done so. He felt as if he was exposed, visibly naked to his eye and the thought made him tremble even more.

"Rei, why don't you guys go ahead and get dinner?" He could hear Yuujin say to Rei. "Haru and I will join you guys soon."

Haru couldn't hear what Rei had replied but he supposed his friend must have agreed because when he looked up from Yuujin's shoulder, things had changed. He and Yuujin were the only ones in the room.

"Haru?" He could hear his best friend's voice crack and hated that he was the reason for that. He wanted to comfort Yuujin and tell him not to worry, but the words wouldn't come no matter how much he tried to bring them to his tongue so he stayed silent and let the other continue what he was saying. "Will you please tell me what happened? My imagination is coming up with a lot of scenarios that I don't even know if they're true or not and I…I'm worried about you, Haru."

Haru didn't know what to say. A part of him didn't want to tell anyone because it still sent shivers down his spine and made his whole body tremble to think of how much Akuma knew. How the other might still be watching him right now, waiting for the next moment that he was alone to strike.

"I can't," Haru whispered, looking around anxiously. "I want to Yuujin but…I'm not sure we're alone."

Yuujin's brow furrowed as he looked around, seeing no one else but the two of them. "Haru, everyone else has gone to the other room, do you mean Gatchmon and Offmon? We can send them away too if you want more privacy."

Haru shook his head. "Even…even if we send them away, we still wouldn't be alone. He's watching me." He curled away from Yuujin, into himself. "He always has been. I can't, Yuujin. Please don't make me say anymore, please." He didn't want to take the risk. He didn't want to take any chances that Akuma could be listening in to their conversation somehow.

Yuujin hugged him closer but didn't push him any further to talk. "Haru, I won't let anything bad happen to you ever again, I swear."

Haru found himself slowly relaxing into his best friend's hug and when Yuujin said it, he found himself maybe begin to believe that Akuma wouldn't be able to succeed with whatever intentions he had for him. His best friend's warmth, his words made him visibly relax as well and he didn't say anymore but his expression did change into looking a little less fearful.

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Yuujin didn't know what to think. Whoever that person was had genuinely scared Haru a lot more than he had initially thought. He held his best friend close, not sure if his reassurance would do anything but he could feel that Haru had relaxed a little from them. _God, don't let me break this promise. I want to help Haru, no matter what._

"Thanks Yuujin," Haru said softly. "I feel a bit better now."

Yuujin blinked but he could tell Haru was being sincere and he did look a little bit calmer so that was good at least. "Are you ok to join the others then?"

Haru nodded, smiling a bit. "Yeah, I think I'm okay now."

As they joined the others, Yuujin did feel that Haru had calmed down at his reassurance and was interacting with the others a little bit. It was still less than he usually did but at least it was something and better than him being so quiet and uncertain.

"Did he tell you anything?" Rei's voice was quiet but it came unexpected because he was so focused on watching Haru that Yuujin nearly jumped out of his skin but quickly calmed down when he realized it was just Rei.

"Not much," Yuujin admitted honestly. "He's scared, Rei. Whoever it was that hurt him, I think he feels that person is still watching him right now. He's too scared to tell me the details. I don't want to push him, I don't want to make anything worse but I'm worried."

Rei seemed to be listening to this with a thoughtful expression on his face. "So he thinks he's being stalked?"

Yuujin nodded. "I guess so but how do we know for sure?"

Rei didn't reply right away and for a moment, Yuujin felt as if the other didn't know how to reply when he spoke again. "If there is someone watching us, listening to us, it's best to stop talking about them or push Haru to talk about them, for his own safety." His voice was almost curt but his eyes flickered with something which Yuujin couldn't tell what it was.

Yuujin blinked at the other. He seemed to be focused on what he was saying but at the same time, he looked so far away that it was hard to tell how invested he was in the conversation but he nodded. "Yeah, I don't want to make things any worse for Haru so I'm going to just watch over him."

Rei actually gave a minute smile to Yuujin or at least he thought that was a smile? It was different to his usual focused expression, at least. "That's the best protection we can give him right now."

Yuujin's expression was firm. "Yeah. Whoever that was won't get another chance to hurt him."


	11. Chapter 11

_Okay, so finally gotten rid of all the assignments and can post this chapter. To those who reviewed my previous chapter, Rei is Haru's sword and Yuujin is his shield. Yuujin has always been sheltering Haru since they've become friends and Rei seems more the type to fight for Haru then just stand in front of him like a shield which is why Rei is Haru's sword who will cut down his enemies. Rambling but either way, enjoy the chapter!_

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**11\. You Raise Me Up**

Haru bit his lower lip as he read the letter from his Dad's good friend, Hiroki. There had been a major emergency at work and his father had been badly wounded, ending up in the hospital. Having University commitments himself, he wouldn't be able to go himself and normally he would be okay staying home alone but given recent events, the thought of being at home by himself sent a chill down his spine.

"I don't want to leave you at home alone," Mrs. Shinkai said biting her lower lip. "Could you stay with Ai-chan and her father? I know Yuujin's dorm might not have room."

Haru closed the letter, not sure what to reply to his Mom. He wasn't sure if he wanted Ai to find out about Akuma but Yuujin stayed in a tiny dorm in his University so there was no way he could stay with him. "I don't know, Mom." He didn't want to even ask Rei. Akuma's words about Rei circulated in his mind over and over and he wished there was something he could honestly do to push that thought out of his mind but it wasn't like it wasn't true. Dad's friend didn't even mention me in the letter or show any keenness for me coming. Despite him trying to keep a normal relationship with his father as much as he could, it had become bitter and resentful ever since he had become firm in his decision to bring Yuujin back and keep being friends with him. His best friend felt guilty sometimes, feeling that he had caused a strife between them but there was no such thing. A strife could only be created where there was a relationship – and that had never been the case for his father especially in regards to him.

"Haru?" Mrs. Shinkai asked gently. "Is everything alright? You've been acting a little on edge lately."

Haru blinked at that, clutching his jacket around his body almost instinctively. "No Mom, its nothing like that."

"Sweetheart," Mrs. Shinkai pulled him into a hug. "You know you can tell me anything right?"

Haru didn't reply for a moment. There was a small part of him that wanted to tell someone. Gatchmon kept pushing him to and he was going to burst if he didn't speak to someone about it soon. That said, he still didn't want to make things even worse for himself. "Mom? If I tell you, you have to promise me you won't say anything to anyone. It's…I haven't even told Yuujin about this because its scary but I want to tell you, I just don't want things to become worse." He could feel his hands trembling a little bit as he spoke. "Please promise me, Mom. Promise me you won't say anything to anyone."

Mrs. Shinkai pulled him into an even closer hug, hugging her son to her chest. "I promise, sweetie. I won't tell anyone anything unless you ask me to."

Haru could feel himself relax slightly. That was good. Akuma wouldn't do anything worse if what he said and did wasn't told to anyone right? He had to believe that. "Mom, two days ago, when we were all getting together for the Valentine's Day party, Yuujin was supposed to pick me up after I got some chocolates and stuff so we could go to the party together. His team wanted to have a bit of a soccer game together and he had already committed to them but would pick me up afterwards. It doesn't take that long to buy chocolates so I got done early and then called him. He said he wasn't done yet but he would try and finish up as soon as he could. I was okay with that or I was until I felt another presence." He shivered a bit. "I felt like someone was watching me so I asked Yuujin to please try and hurry. He promised he would and hung up. I tried to look around for the person watching me because I thought I might be paranoid about it but he stepped out." He clung to his mother a bit and she hugged him tighter. "He said so many things to me Momma, he asked me out too and the way he was looking at me. He began f-flirting with me and saying so many things. He's been following me for awhile, Momma. He could be outside right now listening to every word we're saying. I managed to get away from him that day because I ran to Rei-kun's apartment. It was close by and I didn't want to be…" He felt his eyes water. "Please don't leave me alone Momma. Please."

Mrs. Shinkai was silent for a good few minutes but there were tears running down her cheek as she listened to Haru's words and everything he said, hugging him close. "Haru, sweetie, none of this is your fault. What he did and said to you that day, it's not allowed. We should go to the police if you think he's still stalking you."

Haru's eyes widened, terror striking his heart and he began shaking. "No Momma, please! You can't tell anyone! Please Momma, you promised. Please…" He knew he was being irrational but he could feel it that day. If Akuma had taken one step closer, if he had managed to grab him, doing more than that to him and forcing him to stay silent wouldn't have been hard. He had felt how close Akuma had been to molesting him that day.

"Ok, sweetheart," Mrs. Shinkai said gently. "I promise. I promise I won't tell anybody if he makes you that scared. Yuujin and your other friends don't know about this do they?"

Haru shook his head, although became considerably calmer when his mother promised not to tell anyone. He didn't want to take the risk of anyone else knowing. "Yuujin knows something happened and Rei-kun could see how shaken I was so he knows something happened as well, but the others don't know anything."

Mrs. Shinkai looked like she was thinking about this before she spoke. "Well, Yuujin's dorm room is definitely too small for you to stay. We could ask Rei and Hajime-kun if you could spend this time at their apartment."

Haru averted his gaze to the ground. "I don't want to be a burden on Rei-kun and Hajime-kun, Mom. They have enough to deal with."

Mrs. Shinkai frowned at this. "Haru, did that person say something about Rei-kun too?"

Haru bit his lower lip but nodded. "He was following me for awhile. Mom, I have feelings for Rei-kun. I thought it was admiration at first because I've always admired him as my precious friend but my stomach fills with butterflies when he glances my way and if he smiles at me, I feel like I can't breathe. His smile is so beautiful, Mom. A-Akuma knew how I felt about Rei-kun." His eyes watered. "He said Rei-kun could have anyone and he'd never even glance my way because he's so cool and charming. What can I offer him Mom? I'm not pretty, I'm not cool, my own father doesn't even want anything to do with me other than to dictate my life. He was right about that – he was right about me."

"Shinkai Haru," His mother spoke sternly. "I never want to hear you speak that way about yourself again, do you understand me mister?"

Haru blinked, gaping at his mother a bit, having rarely heard this tone of voice from her so he was a little surprised but somehow he felt she wasn't expecting an answer from him so he allowed her to continue with what she was saying.

"You have the most beautiful heart," Mrs. Shinkai said gently. "You're kind, you're caring and you're always for your friends. Anyone would be lucky to be with you in any manner because Haru, you always give everyone all of you. You give them all the kindness and compassion and are there for them. You have so much to offer, sweetheart. More than you know. Cool? Charming? Attractive? These things fade with time. No one's going to remain cool, charming and attractive all their life. But having a heart of gold is something that won't fade with time and is a beautiful treasure that anyone can get by being with you."

Haru didn't know what to reply. He wanted to believe his mother but Akuma's words had stung his heart like sharp knives stabbing into him and someone pouring salt into those wounds. "Mom, you believe that and I'm not saying you're wrong but I feel like he wasn't only referring to my feelings for Rei…I felt it was more than that. I felt he meant our friendship as well. I know I shouldn't believe him, he's nobody to me but what he said really hurt."

"Words can stab us sometimes a lot more than weapons or physical harm can," Mrs. Shinkai said biting her lip. "Haru, will you stay with Rei-kun and Hajime-kun while I go to see your Dad?"

Haru shook his head. "I don't want to be…"

"Let me ask them at least, sweetie please," Mrs. Shinkai said seriously. "I'm not leaving you here by yourself after everything that you've told me. If you don't want to stay with Rei-kun and Hajime-kun, I'll ask Yuujin to leave his dorm room and stay with you here until I get back."

Somehow, Haru felt Yuujin staying with him here would be better than him being a burden on Rei-kun and Hajime-kun but he didn't voice this and instead just nodded. "But please don't tell him about Akuma. I-I'm not really sure if he's not listening in right now and I don't want to take the risk."

"I won't," Mrs. Shinkai promised, kissing her son's forehead gently and Haru relaxed in his mother's arms. For the first time since the incident, he could feel himself finally calming down and feeling a little less scared. He had wanted to talk to somebody about it and he was glad that his mother had pushed him into telling her about it.


	12. Chapter 12

_Hi there! Ok, so I have a feeling people are going to like this chapter and it's genuinely one of the ones that I'm proud of because of how it is written so here we go, a chapter in Rei's POV since I've shown you guys enough on how Haru feels for Rei, so enjoy guys!_

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**12\. Changing Feelings**

Rei cleared out the plates after finishing off breakfast. Since it was the weekend and he was off-duty, he could take care of the apartment and do the usual routine but his thoughts kept drifting back to last night. While everyone was eating their dinner, he had snuck out of the bookshop to see how true Haru's fears of being watched were because his friend didn't lie and to see if he could catch the person who was tormenting his friend.

_Rei, being an expert at sneaking away from the group himself had snuck out of the bookshop while everyone else was busy to see if he had catch this person whoever it was and it only took a few seconds to spot the person. It felt too easy – almost like this person wanted to be caught because he stepped out of hiding when Rei's gaze landed on him._

_"Who are you?" Rei said icily. "And why are you watching us?"_

_The blue-haired boy who had stepped out hummed a little. "Can you prove I was watching you? I could have just been passing by and you're accusing me of stalking? That's rather rude you know."_

_Rei's glare somehow became colder. "Cut the crap and tell me who you are." His hands clenched into a fist._

_The boy giggled a bit now. "Impatient aren't you? My name's Akuma since you really want to know. As for what I want." His amused gaze turned cold and drifted inside. Rei followed Akuma's gaze, seeing it stop on Haru causing his entire body to tense, blind rage taking over and he pulled out his knife, pushing Akuma back and pressing it against his throat. A murderous glint took over his eyes as he stared into the other's eyes._

_"If you ever go near my friend again, I will kill you," Rei said coldly. "That's not a threat, it's a promise."_

_Fear flickered in Akuma's eyes momentarily so he didn't move right then for fear that the knife might actually cut into his throat if he did that but as soon as Rei had moved back, he jumped back._

_"No one says no to me, Katsura Rei-kun," Akuma said, managing to dodge Rei trying to grab him. "If I die, I'm taking Haru-kun with me."_

_"You," Rei bristled, lunging at him again with the knife but he was gone so quick that it was like he had never even been there in the first place. 'God dammit I shouldn't have done more than just threatened that freak' _

"Oniichan?" Hajime's voice snapped Rei out of his thoughts long enough to hear that his phone was ringing.

Rei blinked. "Oh." He quickly answered it. "Hello?"

"Rei-kun, hi, it's me," Haru's soft voice spoke on the other line. "If you're not too busy, would you be okay coming over tonight with Hajime-kun? Yuujin's coming too."

Rei blinked at the sudden invitation. "Sure, is everything ok?"

"Yeah, everything's alright," Haru said softly. "Mom just wanted to talk to you and Yuujin about something. It's nothing too worrying though."

"Yeah, sure we'll come, its no problem," Rei replied. It wasn't like he was doing anything tonight and he did have work off. He paused for a moment, unsure of how to bring this up or whether he should even say it.

"Okay, well, I'll see you then," Haru said but Rei quickly spoke.

"Haru, wait," Rei said before his friend could hang up. He could feel that his friend had stopped from hanging up the phone when he said that.

"What is it, Rei-kun?" Haru asked.

Rei looked at Hajime, words getting stuck in his throat. Words were hard. Emotions were hard and he was bad at both of those things. Hajime smiled a bit at him, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. Somehow this gave him the strength to speak, to say some of what he wanted to say even if it didn't express even half of how he felt.

"Haru, I want to say…" Rei's voice faltered again before he remembered the way Akuma's gaze had stopped on Haru and the way he had escaped, leaving a vague threat in his words. "I won't let anyone hurt you no matter what." His tone took an edge of genuine protectiveness, something he had only ever felt before when it came to Hajime. But seeing how afraid Haru was and seeing the way Akuma was so cocky, he had wanted to slice that bastard into tiny little pieces and throw him to the wolves. He never thought he could feel this way towards anyone that wasn't Hajime but somehow Haru had earned that place in his heart. Haru was the reason he was alive today and his friend had given him more hope than he had felt in a long time. He wanted to hold his friend close, shelter him from how cruel the world could be. He had seen that look in Akuma's eyes, the want, the desire to devour the other person till there was nothing left in them, no fight, no will to go on. To him, it was a familiar look and one he had seen as a young child all too often.

"T-thank you, Rei-kun," Haru's voice stuttered a little but he sounded genuinely sincere. "That's why I came to you that day. I feel safe with you."

Rei felt his cheeks heat up a little at Haru's words and he wasn't really sure why but they felt warm and somehow they heated up even more when he heard Hajime giggle. "I'll always do my best to keep you safe." His voice was soft and he felt his heartbeat begin to quicken. A shiver ran through him but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. It was a nice feeling, one that made him feel warm and safe. He wanted more of this feeling and somehow he didn't want this conversation to end between them but he knew they couldn't keep talking because he was having strange feelings he had never experienced before. Knowing Haru, he would probably agree to keep talking if he asked him to because that was just the way he was.

"I know," Haru said simply in response. "Rei-kun? Thank you for saying that. It means a lot to me, especially coming from you."

_Coming from him?_ Did Haru mean that because Rei wasn't good with always expressing how he really felt or did his words hold another meaning? He wasn't sure but somehow he hoped for the latter because it made his heartbeat race even more.

"See you tonight, Rei-kun," Haru said softly.

"Y-yeah, see you," Rei said hanging up the phone and placing his hand on his heart, feeling it beat so fast.

"Oniichan, are you alright?" Hajime asked, giggling again.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Rei gave his little brother a soft smile. It wasn't anything bad at least although he was sure Hajime knew that considering he was giggling about something. "We're heading over to Haru's tonight ok?"

Hajime nodded. "Okay, no problem. I'll go work on my assignment then since I won't get to it tonight then."

"Yeah, probably best," Rei agreed absently and watched his little brother head to his room before collapsing down on the sofa, mind whirling from his own confused thoughts.

"Rei, are you ok?" Hackmon asked, floating over to him in CHIP-form. "You seem a little bit confused, did something happen?"

"I don't know," Rei admitted honestly. "It's hard to explain it to you when I don't really get it myself but I know its not a bad thing. It feels really nice actually, better than I've ever felt all my life."

Hackmon blinked. "You can try to explain it. We're Buddies so I'll probably understand it and maybe I can explain it to you if you want."

Rei thought about it. There were times when Hackmon really understood what he wanted to say or what he was feeling even better than he did. "When I was talking with Haru just then, I didn't really want the conversation to end. I wanted Haru and I to keep talking or just stay on the phone, even if there was nothing to say. I don't know what to think about it though because I've never felt like this." He paused for a few seconds, trying to gather his thoughts as he realized he probably made really little sense right now. "I don't know about you but I sound really confusing to even myself. I mean, I've always revolved my own world around Hajime, wanting to protect him and making sure he's happy. While being friends with you and Haru made me realise I had more than just Hajime, this is different. That night, when I confronted Akuma, I wanted to rip him into pieces for even daring to look at Haru in that way. I want to protect Haru, Hackmon. I want to hold him close and make sure no darkness can ever even touch him. I want to make him feel safe." His heart felt like it would pop out of his chest at the speed with which it was beating right now. "I've only ever felt this strongly towards Hajime before. The desire to protect, the desire to shelter him from any pain. I don't understand…"

Hackmon let Rei finish and when it was clear that his Buddy had no more to say, he spoke up. "Rei? Haru's really important to you, isn't he? Does he feel like family to you?"

Rei blinked. Like family? Haru was definitely very important to him, there was no doubt about that but did he feel the same way towards him that he did towards Hajime? Well, talking to Hajime on the phone never made his heart begin to race or his stomach to fill with butterflies, so he supposed the answer was no to that.

"I mean, Haru's important to me but it's different from Hajime," Rei admitted, a frown forming on his face. He didn't understand what these feelings were, they were something he had never experienced before. _Geez, I can't even understand my own emotions._ He blinked a bit when he saw Hackmon smile a bit under his hoodie, a knowing smile as if he knew something he didn't. "Hackmon, what is it? You've figured it out haven't you?"

Hackmon smirked a bit. "Have I?"

A scowl came on Rei's face. "Don't play dumb. I know you."

Hackmon still looked far too pleased with himself. "It's obvious to me, Rei. But telling you might be less effective than you working it out for yourself."

Rei's scowl deepened at his Buddy. "But I can't work it out because it's not a familiar feeling to me."

"Haru's special to you, much more than you realise right now," was all Hackmon said. Well, that was not helpful at all. Rei enjoyed having the answers to any problems that formulated in his mind but when it came to this thing called emotions, he rarely had the answers because they were much too complicated for him to decipher. He was clueless when it came to this so how was he supposed to figure it out?

"Hackmon," Rei groaned a little. "You're enjoying this aren't you?" He was still scowling, although it contained no displeasure, only a slight annoyance because his Buddy wasn't helping him out in something that he honestly needed help in because he had no idea.

"I'm happy for you, Rei," Hackmon admitted honestly. "You've kept yourself so tightly locked away from your emotions but even you can't deny that Haru makes you feel something. I don't want to tell you what your feeling, its best you let what your feeling grow into something more that you can understand yourself."

Rei blinked at his friend but allowed that. It was probably better that Hackmon wasn't telling him how he felt and maybe he was right. Rushing it to try and understand what he was feeling was probably not the best idea right now. He allowed his thoughts to drift to Haru as he thought back to a few years ago.

_Rei watched Haru read out loud information that could possibly aide them in bringing Yuujin but something squirmed uncomfortably in his stomach. Now that the battle was over and they were back to their daily lives, the thought that he was hiding something from Haru – something about his past that might change their friendship forever. A part of him didn't want to tell Haru – he could simply help the other bring Yuujin back and then leave his life forever with Hajime. He knew that wouldn't work though, given while Haru wouldn't push him to stay, he also wouldn't just let him walk away._

_Was that the only reason he felt he should tell Haru about the darkest part of his past? No. That was just an excuse because he knew he was good at disappearing on people without warning and if he didn't want to tell Haru, he could just vanish with his little brother. But he had gotten used to Haru's company, being his friend that he wasn't sure if he wanted to get used to a life without Haru in it now. But continuing to be his friend while hiding something so big from him made him feel wrong – dirty almost, as if he were committing an unforgivable crime._

_"Rei-kun?" Haru's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he jumped a little startled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you or anything but is everything ok? You seem a little bit distracted today, that's all."_

_Rei's grip tightened around the cup that he had been holding. "I…I wanted to tell you something."_

_Haru blinked. "Oh? What is it, Rei-kun?"_

_"I told all of you that our relatives tried to split me and Hajime up," Rei said quietly. "I mean, I guess they kind of did in a way but that's not really the complete truth. After Mom died and Dad walked out, Hajime and I were completely alone. There was no way we could really support ourselves unless I found a job. Mom's side of the family never really kept in touch with us – they didn't really even come to Mom's funeral so I went looking for a job but no one gave me a job so I went to somebody else for help. You've heard the name Fuzen Katsura right?" He felt ill just mentioning his Uncle's name and tried to ignore the fact that his hands had begun trembling._

_"Only by name," Haru admitted, having put the book down and was peering at Rei in concern. "I wasn't sure he was related to you so I never asked. He's a charity worker or something right?"_

_"Well, that's what he's known as anyway," Rei said looking up at Haru briefly, heart sinking into his stomach at what he was about to say. "He's my Uncle. My dad's younger brother. I went to him to see if he could support me and Hajime because I was running out of options. He said he was willing to support me but I would have to work for him. I took the opportunity. I mean, he was giving me a job and if I could earn enough money to pay rent for the apartment we were staying in, Hajime and I wouldn't end up on the streets." He shivered a bit. "He didn't tell me what the job was, just that it paid really well. My uncle and my aunt dealt in a business of child sex slavery. They would offer to help families in poverty in exchange for children from those families working. I took the job and worked…as a doll for Fuzen's clients. It paid well and I was able to support myself and Hajime. Fuzen and my aunt Tsukiko had certain rules in place to make sure things didn't ever go too far. The clients were never allowed to have sex with dolls who were underage." He tried to keep his voice flat as he said this albeit couldn't help it when it cracked slightly and forced it to try to become somewhat composed again, inwardly wincing as he could feel his eyes begin to water. No, he had to finish this. He had to be able to finish what he had started. "One time, one of the clients tried to bend that rule with me. My aunt and uncle were out somewhere so the client thought what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them and tried to go further than they were allowed. I panicked and protested so the client beat the shit out of me. I passed out then so I'm not really sure what happened but I never went back after that. I know Hajime got me away from there though…I understand if you don't want anything to do with me, but please go easy on Hajime, it's not his-" His voice genuinely did crack now and he trailed off but the next thing he knew he had been enveloped into a hug by Haru. He felt a few tears fall down his cheeks as he realised his friend hadn't pushed him away._

"_Oh Rei-kun," Haru said. "I would never stop being your friend for something like that. You were just a child." His eyes flickered with tears but he pushed them aside, giving a watery smile. "You shouldn't have had to support yourself but the fact that you did as much as you did only shows me how kind and strong you really are. Thank you for telling me this, I know it wasn't easy for you." He hugged Rei even closer. "Rei-kun? No matter what happens, you'll always be my friend, my precious friend and telling me the darkest parts about your past won't change that. It does change one thing though." His smile became bigger even as tears began to roll down his own cheeks. "Before I just liked and admired you as a person, as my friend. But now? I respect you even more, Rei-kun. You're genuinely one of the bravest, strongest and kindest people I've ever met and I feel proud and lucky to have you as one of my special friends."_

_Hearing all that, Rei broke down into sobs, clinging and clutching onto his friend even tighter. He had imagined so many scenarios in his head, ones where Haru was apologetic about rejecting him but had done it anyway and ones where he had plain outright rejected him, walking out of his apartment, stating that he could bring Yuujin back himself. Haru was kind so maybe he was overthinking it but it never occurred to him that his friend was kind enough to accept him, to hug him and tell him it didn't make a difference. He could feel himself relaxing and he could feel that something had changed between the two of them._

Rei had always felt the closest to Haru other than Hackmon and his little brother of course but that day, he truly felt comfortable being around him. The feeling that passed through him when his friend had hugged him and told him it didn't matter was something he hadn't felt since he was a small child. Feelings of wanting to pull away, cut contact with his friends seemed to fade away from his mind and it wasn't so bad being around the others as long as Haru was there too. It felt easier – lighter now that his friend had accepted him with some of the darkest parts of his past. His feelings now had grown into something more as well, he was unable to tell what it was exactly but it was like Hackmon said. It wasn't like he needed to rush this in any way and he would come to understand what his own feelings were in due time.


	13. Chapter 13

_One of my favourite Applidriver/Appmon bonds that was not focused on as much as it should have been in canon plus the post-series potential of these two is just amazing for me to explore – I'm a psychology student so it's even more fun for me, a relatively light-hearted chapter although look forward to the next chapter *winks slyly at all my Haru/Rei lovers reading this fanfic* Please do enjoy this story!_

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**13\. What We Can Do Now**

Yuujin had been a little bit startled when Haru called inviting him over to his place for dinner, mentioning that Rei and Hajime were coming as well but the others were not invited. Had Haru talked to his mom about what had happened and told her that he and Rei knew about it somewhat? Or was there something else going on? He wasn't sure but he knew that he definitely wanted to help Haru if even though he had failed at it once. _My personal feelings are not more important than caring about Haru's safety. Love isn't something that can be enforced on someone and I won't allow my feelings to keep me from making Haru happy. _

"Are we going to Haru's tonight, offu?" Offmon shifted closer to him.

Yuujin nodded, smiling and patting Offmon's head gently. "Yeah, he just called me and invited me over tonight."

"You and Rei were invited, but not Ai-chan and the others offu?" Offmon asked. "Yuujin, why doesn't Haru want to tell them?"

"Haru hasn't even told either of us the details of what happened, Offmon," Yuujin pointed out. "If we weren't involved than we would have never been able to even know that Haru had been through something."

"I get that," Offmon admitted, slinking down a bit shyly. "I mean, maybe I'm not one to talk offu, given that when I had a problem, I ran away but I'm…I'm worried about Haru. I mean…I felt a lot better when you believed in me and when you came to protect me offu. It made me feel that I wasn't better off handling things alone offu. Haru has always been really kind to me but wouldn't it be better for the others to know so they can help? Everyone cares about Haru after all."

Yuujin blinked at his Buddy. His Buddy had always been shy and reserved around the others back then but he had noticed that ever since he had come back, Offmon while still shy around most of the others was comfortable expressing his opinion around him and Haru. He also seemed a lot stronger than he had been back then. After coming back with the realisation that he had hurt those most precious to him, it had been hard for him to face anyone, especially Offmon and Haru, the ones he had ended up hurting the most in all of this. He hadn't pushed them away, only because he didn't want to hurt them any worse and had wanted to try and make up for his mistakes, but Offmon's strength gave him courage. His willingness to stick by him, even offer advice when he wasn't sure what to do was more helpful than even he realised himself.

"I'm not sure of the details of what happened," Yuujin admitted quietly. "But I think Haru's scared of whoever that person is. I know that person is dangerous, Offmon and it probably is better that the others know especially if he is a stalker but…is it really right to push Haru when he's so uncomfortable?"

Offmon didn't speak for a few moments, expression clouded over in genuine thought before he finally spoke. "You don't have to push him but you can tell him at least right?"

"Tell him what? How I feel about the situation?" Yuujin asked, own expression furrowing in thought. He could do that since there was definitely no harm in that, it was just telling Haru what he thought was better without feeling as if he was enforcing it on him.

Offmon nodded. "Haru values your opinion, offu and right now, he's scared but it'll give him something to think about right?"

Yuujin nodded. That was true. He didn't want to force Haru to tell the others even though the others knowing that his best friend was in danger would ensure there were more people around to protect him which would make him feel better. Haru being hurt and traumatised once was bad enough and he didn't want it to happen again.

"I'll do that then," Yuujin said softly. He focused back on his law book that he was studying for an upcoming quiz but Haru's fearful face drifted in the back of his mind and he grimaced. He hated seeing his best friend look that way. _If I had just come a little sooner like Haru asked me to… _He knew that kind of thought wasn't constructive but he couldn't help himself. Haru was more important than his soccer games. His team-mates had been insisting for one soccer game, but Haru's request should have come first. Haru always came first no matter what.

"Yuujin," Offmon's voice was firm. "You're thinking silly thoughts again."

Yuujin gaped. How did his Buddy always seem to know what he was thinking even when he never told him? "No, I…" He tried to make some sort of excuse but nothing came to mind and his shoulders hunched a little. "I just feel so bad Offmon. I feel like I failed to protect Haru when I should have been there. I've always tried to be there for him and just the thought that something worse could have happened to him…" He shivered a bit at the thought of that stalker doing worse to Haru.

"But it didn't," Offmon pointed out. "Yuujin, I know it's scary what happened to Haru but you couldn't have known offu. Is spending time wondering what could have happened or blaming yourself for what you could have done really useful? I mean, it's okay to have insecurities, offu. It's natural to feel like you could have done more. When…when we lost you, I felt like I wasn't a good enough Buddy for you." A few tears welled up in his eyes and he slunk down for a few moments, unable to speak.

"Offmon, that's not true," Yuujin said immediately and rather insistently, not even registering the rest of his Buddy's comment because he was too focused on the last part. He pulled Offmon close to him. "You're my best friend other than Haru and none of what happened was your fault. I love you Offmon," His voice cracked a little bit as he said that. "Please don't feel that way. I love you. You help me so much and you've grown so much stronger too since I've come back."

"You helped me become the best version of myself too offu," Offmon said. "Rei told me it's alright to have negative feelings as long as I use them to help make me stronger and don't let them drag me down offu. I wasn't able to be there for you once offu but I won't ever let that happen ever again I promise. I want to help you, Yuujin. I want to protect you always."

Yuujin hugged Offmon even closer. "You do that already, Offmon."

Offmon smiled a bit now. "Thank you offu but you can do the same for Haru right? Dwelling on the past won't do anything right? But you can use it to help you protect Haru now."

Yuujin's mind came to the realisation that his and Offmon's situations were a lot more similar than he had thought. Offmon had struggled with accepting his inability to do something for Yuujin back then but instead of dwelling on what he couldn't do, he focused on what he could do now in the present because he couldn't change the past. A small smile came to his face and he smiled down at his Buddy. "Yeah, I know. It's hard to remember that sometimes but it would be a lot more constructive wouldn't it?"

Offmon nodded. "Offu! I'll keep telling you until you can remember it."

Yuujin smiled more. "Thank you Offmon."


	14. Chapter 14

_Okay, so I wasn't planning to update this today but honestly, I had it written and I wanted to cheer a very special friend to me up so here we are. This is my first time ever writing an actual romantic scene. I would like to thank __**coolgamer **__for betareading this chapter for me as well as __**groundramon **__because they gave me an idea on how to approach this scene through roleplaying with me. I am open to any critique, so do let me know what I did well and what I didn't, please. That said, enjoy the chapter!_

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**14\. An Honest Confession**

"Haru, will you please relax?" Mrs. Shinkai asked her son, noting how much he was fidgeting and looking around anxiously almost like he was worried about what would happen.

"I…I'm trying," Haru admitted, although still found his eyes drifting towards the door, a little on edge at the thought that Akuma might still be out there right now even though he was trying not to think about that. Rei had said he would never let anything happen to him and somehow coming from the other, a part of him began to believe it even if it didn't take away the fear completely. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a knock on the door but forced himself to breathe. It was probably just Rei and Hajime or Yuujin, he didn't need to be worried. He was at home after all and his Mom knew the truth now. He blinked, seeing Yuujin but it wasn't such a surprise since his best friend's University wasn't all that far from his home.

"Hello sweetie, how are you?" His mother greeted Yuujin kindly.

"I'm okay," Yuujin said shifting a little and giving him an anxious look. "Is everything ok?"

Haru tried to smile but couldn't quite manage it and looked down at his feet. "Yeah, everything's fine." Okay, that wasn't the truth, but it was fine compared to what it had been two days ago, so it wasn't a complete lie at least. He felt Yuujin reach out and take his hand, looking up.

"Hey," Yuujin said quietly. "You don't have to pretend to be okay, Haru. It's alright to be scared you know."

"Yeah I know," Haru admitted, this time managing a genuine smile even if it was weaker than usual. "I do feel a bit better since then. I told Mom what happened, so it feels like a relief to get it out actually." It had been hard bottling up the words that Akuma had said, let alone the way he was looking at him so telling his mother without fearing too much about the consequences made his heart feel a lot lighter.

"That's good," Yuujin hugged Haru and Haru found himself leaning into it subconsciously but didn't feel the same warmth he usually did when the other hugged him. He wasn't sure why this was but there was something different. It was as if something had changed between them, but he wasn't sure what it was. Was it because Yuujin hadn't come that day in the moment that Haru really needed him to be there or was it because they were growing up? They were no longer little kids that whenever he fell, Yuujin would run over, helping him up. Or if someone even tried to be rough with him or look at him in the wrong way, Yuujin would chase them away. _We really aren't children anymore. Yuujin can't always protect me from invisible monsters or even monsters that are there. _Something stirred in his heart and it was like there was a grain of rebellion with that thought. No, he didn't want that to change. He didn't want things between them to ever change no matter how old they got.

"Haru?" Rei's quiet voice brought him back to reality and he realised that Rei and Hajime had also arrived, and the others had been trying to get his attention for the last minute or so.

"Sorry, I zoned out a little bit," Haru admitted, cheeks flushing a little pink and he moved to greet Rei but then stopped for a moment, slight hesitation coming onto his face. His mother noticed this and smiled a bit.

"Why don't we all sit down?" Mrs. Shinkai encouraged, leading everyone towards the sofa's, taking a seat, leading to everyone else slowly following her lead and sitting down as well. "Haru's told me the details of what occurred two days ago with that person. I won't tell the details because Haru isn't comfortable with it, but I will say this much. That person said certain things that really caused Haru to doubt himself."

"Mom," Haru's eyes widened. "Please don't." He didn't want her to mention the details of what Akuma said to him.

Mrs. Shinkai gave him a sad smile. "I'm not, sweetheart. I'm just doing something to help make you comfortable around your friends again, especially those that know some of the details. Trust me ok?"

Haru shifted a little but managed a nod. He was still a little anxious, but he did trust his mother. This didn't stop the fact that his knuckles were slowly turning white as he looked down at them, willing them to stop and focus on what his mother was saying.

"Rei-kun?" Mrs. Shinkai said quietly. "Haru is important to you isn't he?"

Haru didn't want to look up, he almost wanted to block his ears and genuinely wished his mother hadn't asked that question because Rei wasn't like other people. He couldn't tell a lie to even keep a cover in front of other people. He was honest to the point of being blunt which could be handy at times but right now was not one of those times.

"Of course, Haru's important to me," Rei sounded almost offended at the question that was asked, a tinge of iciness coming from his voice and Haru looked up. His friend had raised his eyebrow and Haru could sense the uncertainty and confusion that he felt coming from the other.

"Mom, please stop," Haru whispered, too low for his mother let alone anyone else to hear him say that.

"Akuma, the person who harassed Haru," Mrs. Shinkai said softly. "Said Haru wasn't good enough to be friends with you, that you could make friends with anyone, that you were charismatic and cool enough that you didn't need someone like Haru around."

"Mom, please stop!" Haru said, a little louder this time. "Please. Akuma…could…can hear you, Mom please." He could feel his breath beginning to hitch up and as much as he wanted to stop it, he wasn't sure he could do that.

"Let him hear," Rei said, voice cold but something flickered in his eyes as their eyes locked momentarily. Haru broke the gaze though and looked down. He wouldn't have looked back up at all if he didn't feel a familiar touch on his hand and looked up.

"Rei-kun," Haru began but Rei cut through him before he could say anymore.

"I suck at words," Rei said bluntly. "I don't know how to put things gracefully but even if I fuck this up, you're important to me. You're the only one I genuinely consider to be my friend and the only reason I even hang around your friends is because you're there. I was planning to walk away from the group after the battle with Leviathan was over. But…" He averted his gaze now. "You hugged me back then and reassured me. I'm not kind or gentle like you, Haru. I don't know how to let people in. And cool? Charismatic? I don't know what that freak was even thinking when he called me those things unless he just said them to make you feel bad." His grip tightened on his hand. "I do need you, Haru." His cheeks flushed pink. "You make me feel like I'm not alone. You make me feel like maybe there's more for me out there. Please…" His voice cracked a bit. "Please don't let his words get to you. If he's listening in right now which I hope he is, he can hear this as well. I dare him to try and stop me from saying what I'm about to say." He glared at the window as if Akuma really was out there. "When I was talking to you on the phone earlier, I didn't want our conversation to end then and there. Even if we had nothing to talk about, I wanted to keep that line connected. Hearing your voice, it made my heart start beating so fast that I felt like it would come out. Thinking about what that freak did to you and scared you so much made me want to rip him into pieces and throw his body to the wolves. I've never felt this kind of protectiveness for anyone other than Hajime before. Even now," His pink cheeks now turned red. "I feel like you'll be able to hear how fast my heart is beating because I can feel it as the blood rushes to my head. I have no idea what it is even though it's not a bad feeling."

Haru blinked, own heart starting to beat fast as he heard the words that his friend spoke. His eyes watered, a few tears rolling down his cheeks. He wasn't even sure what to say right now. Rei had never been this expressive and he was acting a little bit different, but he could tell from the look in the other's eyes and the way his cheeks flushed up that he was telling the truth, every bit of it. It was odd he was able to say all this without becoming awkward but maybe…maybe he was that important to Rei that he was able to push his own awkwardness aside to be there for him.

"Thank you Rei-kun," Haru murmured softly. "You have no idea how much you are saying all this means to me. He really hurt me with his words and I genuinely began thinking that I wasn't good enough for you, as a friend or…" He quickly cut himself off, not wanting to scare Rei by admitting that he had a crush on him.

"Haru," Gatchmon chimed in. "Tell him. You might surprise yourself especially given how red he is right now in the face." His tone took on a teasing edge but Haru turned, giving his best friend a look. Just because Rei was red in the face didn't mean anything – he was an awkward person in general after all, but his Buddy just smiled back.

"Tell me what?" Rei asked quietly and Haru exhaled a bit, silently berating his Buddy and himself for even giving Rei the hint that there could be something more there.

Haru looked back at Rei, momentarily losing himself in his friend's brilliant red and gold eyes which reminded him of the sunset of a closing day, so beautiful and gorgeous that it made him nearly forget what he wanted to say before bringing himself back to reality. It was then that he subtly noticed that his mother, Yuujin and Hajime were no longer in the room before focusing back on the person in front of him.

"I…I don't know how to say this since I wasn't planning to tell you but um, I like you," Haru said softly. He wanted to slap himself for the extremely cliched confession that came out of his mouth. Really? He couldn't have found better words to express how he felt about Rei. His thoughts drifted back to the scenario he imagined when he had thought to give Rei a Valentine's Day card and his breath began to quicken again. "But it's okay. My feelings don't matter, it's not as important as wanting to be there for you. I can forget about these feelings, just please don't push me away-" He was cut off by Rei wrapping his own arms around him, feeling him beginning to shake. This caught him off guard a little because it certainly wasn't the reaction he was expecting. He had expected to be pushed away, rejected and be told off that he wasn't being considerate enough. But this was unexpected especially as he could hear Rei begin to sob quietly, cheeks going bright crimson as he buried his face in Haru's shoulder, trying to stop sobbing but not really succeeding at it.

"Rei's been thinking about you a lot lately, Haru," Hackmon said softly. "You've made him really happy with what you said. He'll probably explain more what he feels soon once he's composed enough but I think you're too considerate for your own good."

"I…" Haru felt a few tears cascade down his own cheeks at Hackmon's words and looked to Rei. "You're not upset with me?"

Rei managed to finally stop sobbing enough to speak. "Lately, I've been having really different feelings for you. I think I've always felt you were special, but I was never sure in what way until recently. M-my heart starts beating faster when I think about you. I start smiling when I'm alone." A few more tears fell down his cheeks. He tried to wipe them away but more kept feeling. "I never thought I'd be able to feel like this for anyone. I always thought it'd be just me and Hajime with nothing but one another for support. But meeting you gave me hope that there was more for me, that there was an actual future for me. I didn't really understand but whenever I thought about spending my life with anyone else besides just Hajime, you always came to my mind. I always dismissed it though cause…I guess I didn't see what someone as beautiful as you would see in me. You're light, Haru. The brightest light I've ever seen while all I am is darkness. I don't want my darkness to swallow you whole, to damage you or taint you. I'm the one who isn't good enough for you, Haru. I'm just a dirty and damaged doll." He clutched Haru a little tighter.

Haru stared at the other for a few seconds, trying to let his mind comprehend the fact that Rei liked him back. If he couldn't feel Rei's touch, his warmth, he would be certain that this was just one of those beautiful dreams that could never form but he knew this was real – he just wasn't sure how it was real.

"Rei-kun, you've seen the amount of light a star holds, haven't you?" Haru said finally sounding calmer than he had before, the panic having died down considerably. "It's so tiny yet so bright. The darkness of the night is a lot stronger and tries to dull that light, but it continues shining. I guess…that's how I've always seen you even before I had feelings for you. After all, isn't it in darkness, when you can see how bright a light truly shines? You call me a light, Rei-kun, but I falter in the darkness. I completely broke when Yuujin said our friendship wasn't real, when the Human Application Project started going underway. I managed to get up with help from Gatchmon, but I did falter as everything around me fell apart. I guess what I'm saying is you say you don't deserve me. But the thing is, where does that leave me then? I feel like I'm a lot of who I am because of you. Part of the reason I was able to stand up was because you taught me Rei-kun that even if things seem impossible, even when they're hard, the people we love are worth it. Rei-kun," He smiled a little sadly. "I won't pretend to understand all your feelings, but I do understand how horrible it is to be abandoned by those you love. My dad, he had his reasons and he was protecting me, so I try and maintain relationship with him but even though, I've seen pictures, I don't really have any memories with him or know what he's really like."

He truly meant it too. Rei always reminded him of a shining star, surrounded by darkness but still managing to shine its light so brightly in a way that no amount of darkness could ever put out. He reached out, touching Rei's face, allowing their eyes to lock once more. "I think you're worth it, Rei-kun, even if you don't. You called me a light right? It's cheesy but…" He giggled a bit. "Can I be your light? I was okay with remaining your friend if you didn't feel the same because I want to be there for you, regardless of what our relationship is with each other. I want you to make that decision, Rei-kun. Whatever our relationship is, you always have a choice with me."

Rei reached out, cupping Haru's hand in his own on the side of his face. "I know, Haru. I think the only reason I was able to develop any sort of feelings, ones I couldn't even label actually was because I know no matter what, I can always trust you unconditionally." He flushed a bit. "That said though, I'm not really sure what to do though, what decision to make."

Haru giggled a little bit. "I don't really know either. I never expected you to return my feelings after all."

Rei clutched Haru even closer to him and Haru allowed himself to shift closer into the embrace. He could feel as if all the stress from the last few days was melting away from his body and he finally felt at ease.

"Haru?" Rei said, going even redder, his voice oddly shy so much that it sounded almost uncharacteristic of the other boy. "Would you like to have dinner with me…I mean like a…" He buried his face in Haru's shoulder for a few seconds, unable to genuinely formulate words before looking up. "…a d-date?" He stumbled through that.

Haru felt his own face heat up and he felt a little lightheaded himself. Was this really happening? Was Rei really asking him out on a date? He covered his mouth, a giggle escaping him. "I-I'd love to." He sounded just as shy as Rei but somehow, he managed to reply to him. He was enjoying the closeness he shared with Rei right now and he didn't want this moment to end even though he knew it eventually had to. Feeling the other's body warmth so close to his and the fact that they were going on a date made Haru's heart soar, thudding a little with excitement. Somehow, in the end, everything was finally okay again. He had the person he truly wanted and everything else faded away into the background. Life was beautiful.

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_Should I have a bonus chapter for Haru and Rei's first date? I can write it, just not sure how good it'll be. Do let me know in a review! _


	15. Chapter 15

_Okay so this story has finally reached it's end point but not to worry, there will be a sequel to it so the story continues. The sequel will not be posted on this site and will be posted on Archive of Our Own and a link will be provided both on my profile as well as my Appmon server. I promised a bonus chapter for Haru and Rei's first date and here it is. Thank you so much to __**coolgamer **__for betareading this final chapter for me and I hope you all get lots of sugary gooeyness from it._

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**15\. First Date**

Going out to dinner had sounded a little bit strange to Haru when Rei had first asked him out on a date, so he wasn't too surprised when Rei changed things, asking if he wanted to come over to his apartment for dinner instead. Yuujin had been kind enough to move in with him while his mother was away from home visiting his Dad as well to watch over Hajime while they had their date. Not wanting things to be too formal, Haru had dressed up casually but was trying to get his hair to sit still.

"Oh geez," Haru said with a pout, looking at himself in the mirror. "I really can't get my hair to sit straight on my head. Gatchmon, do you think I should ask Ai-chan or…" He knew Eri might be the better person to ask, given that she was an idol and all, but Ai was the safer option. They hadn't really told anyone they were dating yet and had mutually decided to wait until the first date was over to do that just in case. Ai could keep a secret though even though she might tease him as well.

"Haru, you're fretting way too much," Gatchmon pointed out. "I'm sure Rei will like you fine the way you are."

"Yeah, maybe, I just want to…" Haru trailed off, not really sure how to explain to his Buddy how much this meant to him. He had always felt he didn't stand a chance with Rei, the other was so cool and handsome so he wanted to look as nice as he could for the other.

"Haru," Gatchmon said seriously. "You're not still thinking of the things that freak said, are you?"

Haru blinked a bit when Gatchmon brought up Akuma but shook his head. "No, actually. I trust Rei-kun's word more than I trust Akuma's and I know it must have taken him a lot of courage to express his true feelings to me like that." Once they had confessed their feelings to one another, they had put forth a restraining order against Akuma just so he wouldn't bother him anymore. Due to Akuma's connections, the police hadn't been able to do much more than send a mere warning but Haru felt it was better than anything. Rei and Yuujin clearly didn't agree though given that they had taken on the role to walk to simple places like the market alongside him. He rolled his eyes at the thought. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate how protective they were, but he felt they were babying him quite a bit. But it's kind of nice too, I suppose. I feel safest with the two of them near me.

"That's good then," Gatchmon said nodding. "That bastard doesn't even deserve to be thought of especially when you're going on a date with Rei."

Haru giggled a bit. "There is that but don't worry I'm not thinking of him. I think I'm ready though." He finally headed out of his bedroom back into the living room where Yuujin was sitting with a book from his course. "Hey, I'm ready to go."

Yuujin looked up with a smile. "Hey, not dressing up too much?"

Haru shook his head. "I thought about it, but I want things to be natural and not awkward or anything. Thanks for looking after Hajime-kun during all of this."

"Of course," Yuujin said softly. "I know you wouldn't mind Hajime-kun staying at home, but Rei asked me, and I couldn't really say no. I mean, Makoto says dates are special for most people."

Haru smiled and nodded at that. Yuujin had mentioned Makoto a few times, even though he hadn't met him yet. Given how fondly his best friend spoke about his University friend, he did want to meet up with him however for now, he focused on responding to his best friend. "Yeah, they're supposed to be at least. I'm not really sure I know what I'm doing though to be honest." His face flushed. "I mean I never really imagined myself going on a date or even falling in love."

Yuujin placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure you'll be okay though, Haru since it's you. I think Rei would appreciate anything you do."

Haru beamed a bit at his best friend. "I really hope you're right." He checked the time. "Should we go?"

Yuujin nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

* * *

Rei had never thought his feelings for Haru would go anywhere. Haru was so kind, so friendly, so positive and full of light that his light could radiate anyone. But the fact that his friend had feelings for him and said all those kind things about him had made his heart flutter. He still couldn't believe he was having a date with someone as amazing as Haru. 'I must have done something right in my life to have a chance with someone so radiant like Haru'

He had dressed up in quite formal wear and Hackmon had pointed out he had dressed up as if he were headed to a business meeting but as he fixed his tie, looking at himself in the mirror, he wasn't sure if he wanted to change. 'I want to look nice for Haru. To look cool and charming and all of those things he thinks of me' His face flushed at the reminder of how the person he had always admired thought of him even after knowing the truth of his past. Seeing himself from Haru's eyes was near impossible for him because he viewed himself as damaged, tainted and filled with stains that he didn't think he could ever wash away no matter how hard he tried. But somehow, he never wanted Haru's view of him to change. He didn't know how long he had been standing in front of the mirror, but he guessed it must have been awhile because Hajime had come inside the room.

"Oniichan," Hajime said softly. "Are you alright?"

Rei shifted a little and managed a weak smile. "I think so. I dunno." He was worried he might mess this up because he really had no idea what he was doing.

Hajime smiled. "Oniichan, don't worry ok? Just be natural. Haru-san fell in love with you for who you are, so it'll be okay."

"Yeah, I know," Rei said, reaching out to tousle his brother's hair as much as he possibly could without ruining his suit. "I just want to make Haru happy, that's all." He nearly jumped out of his skin as he heard the doorbell ring.

"I'll go get that," Hajime said, giggling a bit. Rei felt his face heat up at his brother's light teasing but managed a nod. He exhaled, checking himself once more in the mirror to make sure he looked somewhat decent enough for a first date before following his little brother outside.

* * *

Haru had to wonder if he was a little too underdressed, mostly because when he came inside the apartment, Rei was in formal wear and had dressed up quite a bit with his dressing.

"Sorry, am I too underdressed?" Haru said a little sheepishly. "I didn't want things to be too awkward that's all but maybe I should have dressed up a little more."

"You two need to stop second-guessing yourselves," Gatchmon said shrugging. "Though Hackmon, you could have talked your Buddy into not dressing up as if he were going to a work meeting."

Hackmon shrugged. "I tried."

"Gatchmon," Haru turned to chide his Buddy for the tactlessness with his words especially as Rei turned the colour of Gatchmon's helmet. "Rei-kun looks fine."

"M-maybe I shouldn't have tried so hard, sorry, I don't really know much about dates and all," Rei said, fiddling with his tie a little awkwardly. Haru gave a soft smile.

"I don't really know all that much either to be honest," Haru admitted honestly. "I'm just sort of trying to go for whatever's the most natural. Are you comfortable though, Rei-kun? I may not know much about dating, but your comfort is important to me."

Rei smiled a bit, shifting a little. "I should be okay, don't worry. As long as I don't stain it or rip it somehow."

Haru nodded at that, before turning to Yuujin and Hajime who were getting ready to leave. "Take care of each other you two ok?"

Hajime smiled a bit. "You two have fun too ok?" He took Yuujin's hand in his own.

Haru watched the two of them head out before looking back at Rei. He wasn't sure how to start the conversation, but everyone had told him to just let this flow naturally. They were friends so it wasn't like this was a blind date or anything of the sort. He opened his mouth to say something at the same time that Rei did, and a giggle escaped him. "You first."

"I was just going to say that I wanted to check on the dinner since it's almost done," Rei said quietly. "Did…did you manage to find a movie?"

"Yeah, that sounds good and yeah I did," Haru said, eyes lighting up. "I asked the person at the video store what kind of movies are best for couples," His cheeks heated up slightly at this, but he managed to continue. "For first dates too and he gave me one of the most popular horror movies that most couples tend to like watching."

"Haru, aren't you scared of horror movies?" Gatchmon asked as Haru and Rei headed back towards the kitchen.

Haru felt his flushed cheeks go from pink to red as he glared at his Buddy. "G-Gatchmon! I-I'll be fine!" He had faced a super A.I. monster trying to take over the world, how much scarier could a horror movie be? His mouth formed a childish pout as he caught Rei quickly turning a laugh into a convenient cough at Gatchmon's words.

"Are you sure you'll be ok?" Rei asked, unable to hide the amusement in his eyes as he checked on the food, adjusting the temperature before focusing back on Haru. "We don't have to do what's expected of first dates just because some random dude said so."

Haru could feel the slight teasing mixed with concern coming from his boyfriend and knew despite the other finding his fear of horror movies slightly amusing, he was genuinely asking for the sake of his comfort. He sent another narrowed glare at his Buddy before turning back to Rei. "I should be alright; I've seen real monsters now so I'm sure I can handle a few fake ones in movies."

Gatchmon just grinned. "If Haru clings to you during the movie, just think he's being romantic or something okay Rei?"

Haru didn't think it was possible to turn even redder than before but apparently, one learnt new things about themselves each and every day. He couldn't help but grumble "I'm going to leave him home next time" and burying his face in his hands because his Buddy was clearly enjoying himself.

"Gatchmon, stop making fun of my boyfriend," Rei pretended to scold albeit he made himself go red and retreated into himself a bit causing Haru to giggle and now he was the one who attempted to hide his laugh with a not-so-convenient cough. Somehow, he felt despite neither of them not really knowing what the right way to take this date was, they'd be able to make tonight special for the both of them as long as they followed what felt right to them.

Rei had made one Chinese beef dish he had learnt while working at the restaurant with some Egg fried rice as he thought it was good enough, not too heavy but not too light for a dinner date.

"This is really delicious, Rei-kun," Haru said, eyes sparkling. "I'm usually not a fan of vegetables but you make them taste really good."

Rei flushed a little bit at the compliment but couldn't help beaming a little at the response. "I always think vegetables are necessary in every food. I mean, potatoes are the most consumed vegetables in the world, but most people don't realise that other vegetables are a necessary part of our diets. Eating them raw doesn't taste very good. Mom used to make fresh salads for Hajime and me while she was still alive. I mean we'd eat it because Mom said it was good for us but when I got into cooking, I wanted to look for other ways where it wouldn't feel like a chore to eat healthy foods just for the sake of health." He realised he had been rambling and felt his face flush, social awkwardness making itself known within him. "Sorry I…" He really tended to lose sight of where he was when it came to food.

"No please don't be sorry, Rei-kun," Haru said softly, peering at him as he blinked. "I really enjoy it when you talk about food. Besides, it's just the two of us here, right? You don't have to act a specific way, Rei-kun. I really like how relaxed talking about food and cooking makes you."

"But I shouldn't, I'm supposed to be more mature then," Rei had been trying to make some sort of excuse on why he shouldn't lose sight of himself when he felt a touch on his hand, blinking as he looked at Haru.

"You're not supposed to be anyone, Rei-kun," Haru said honestly. "You can be silly, goofy, childlike, playful, whatever you want when it's just the two of us. Rei-kun, I know you were pushed into being an adult for Hajime-kun at a very young age, but you don't have to be right now. I want to make you happy, Rei-kun. Seeing you so relaxed and being able to talk in that way that made you so happy, it made me feel I made you comfortable enough to lower your barriers around me."

Rei felt his eyes stinging and instinctively tried to hide it because it was what he was so used to doing by putting his hands on his face, covering the lone tear that ran down his cheek, trying to compose his emotions. He heard a mere whisper speaking at the back of his mind that he didn't need to hide from Haru and somehow, he really could show weakness around the other. Slowly, he brought his hands away from his face, looking at the other.

"Is that…is that really ok?" Rei would normally hate his voice sounding so meek and uncertain around anybody, for fear that it might get exploited but somehow, he didn't feel that kind of fear being around Haru, so he didn't mind that the uncertainty he felt was seeping into his voice.

"Of course, Rei-kun," Haru said softly. "It's always okay to be yourself around me."

There was silence but it wasn't an awkward, disturbing silence. In fact, it felt rather tender as if the silence surrounding them was trying to capture Haru's words in a way that they wouldn't leave the air and remain eternal within it forever. Rei didn't want this moment, those words and the feeling of warmth that enveloped him to ever end.

"So," Haru began softly as if the topic they had been talking about prior to this had never ended. "Is it really possible to eat healthy food in a way that makes it tastier?"


End file.
